Beyond Outrage (Enhanced Edition)
What has gone wrong with our economy and our democracy, and how to fix it
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4.0 • 55 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
This new enhanced edition of Robert B. Reich’s Beyond Outrage features five entertaining and informative videos, over 20 illustrations by the author, and updated material.
America’s economy and democracy are working for the benefit of an ever-fewer privileged and powerful people. But rather than just complain about it or give up on the system, we must join together and make it work for all of us. In this timely book, Robert B. Reich argues that nothing good happens in Washington unless citizens are energized and organized to make sure Washington acts in the public good. The first step is to see the big picture. Beyond Outrage connects the dots, showing why the increasing share of income and wealth going to the top has hobbled jobs and growth for everyone else, undermining our democracy; caused Americans to become increasingly cynical about public life; and turned many Americans against one another. He also explains why the proposals of the “regressive right” are dead wrong and provides a clear roadmap of what must be done instead. Here’s a plan for action for everyone who cares about the future of America.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Persuasively arguing that Americans haven't learned the economic lessons of the Great Depression and the stock crash of 2008, and stating that "the U.S. economy won't really bounce back until America's surge to inequality is reversed," former labor secretary Reich (Aftershock) examines how we got into this mess and offers solutions in this slim but informative study. In his view, "An economy should exist for the people who inhabit it, not the other way around," Reich writes, assailing the ramifications of Wall Street's unchecked power and the detrimental impact of the "Regressive Right," his term for conservative Republicans whose social Darwinist agenda, helped along by passivity on the part of Democrats, poses a very real threat to the nation. Reich charges Supreme Court Justices Scalia and Thomas, and Newt Gingrich with shady political dealings, while he systematically debunks various right-wing tactics, such as the benefits of lowering taxes on corporations in order to stimulate job growth. As for solutions, Reich's advice ranges from the simple (become an active citizen) to the specific, such as restoring taxes on the rich to pre-1981 levels, expanding Medicare to cover all Americans and tightening restrictions on big banks. Regardless of where readers stand on many of the polarizing concepts he addresses, Reich offers food for thought.
Customer Reviews
Almost Great Economic/Political Analysis
Reich understands insightfully (much of) what has gone wrong in the American economy and political system over the last few decades. But he evidences at least two important biases/blind spots: 1) he tends to see Republicans and Tea Party politicians as the bad guys, Democrats as the good guys. He fails to acknowledge the extent to which the Democrats as well have been bought and co-opted by Big Business, especially Wall Street. 2) He fails to understand, and critique, what is fundamentally different about our current, prevailing version of capitalism versus that of the mid-20th century. In the 1980's American business embraced a new conception of the purpose of a corporation (shareholder value maximization) that prioritized selfishness over service. And they began to grant CEO's large grants of stock and options that gave them huge incentives to maximize short-term profits at the expense of investments that would enlarge long term growth and productivity (see Roger L. Martin's book, Fixing the Game, for an insightful critique). Nevertheless, Reich's assessment gets most of the important issues right.