Our founding fathers worked hard to ensure that a small group of wealthy people would never dominate this country. Thomas Jefferson believed that our very democracy depends upon our ability to play referee to the game of business, protecting labor and the public good. But over the last twenty-five years, we've witnessed an undeclared war against the middle class. The so-called conservatives waging this war are interested only in conserving and increasing their own wealth and power. Under the guise of freeing the market, they have dismantled programs set up to protect the middle class and replaced them with policies that favor only the privileged few. To keep America strong, we must ensure that our public institutions meet people's basic needs for education, health care, and a living wage before our democracy becomes a "corporatocracy."
Screwed
The Undeclared War against the Middle Class—and What We Can Do about It
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
December 17, 2007 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781481566926
- File size: 199999 KB
- Duration: 06:56:39
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starting with Ronald Reagan and accelerating under George W. Bush, American policy makers have waged an assault on the middle class, the very foundation of American democracy, as seen by the Founding Fathers. Hartmann's book chronicles this assault and suggests actions people can take to end it. Anthony Heald is perfect as the narrator. His voice is steady as he discusses economic theory, delivering key concepts clearly and often slowing his pace so listeners can absorb the points. But he lets the emotion in his tone rise as he reads about inequities. When the author points out obvious irrationalities, Heald adopts a tone of incredulity. It could have resulted in caricature, but Heald adopts just the right level, which nicely fits the material. R.C.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine -
September 4, 2006
Beginning with the Reagan administration, the U.S. government has steadily instituted policies and legislation that favor corporations over citizens, argues Air America host Hartmann (The Ultimate Sacrifice). Analyzing the rhetoric and policies of the current administration's "compassionate conservatism," Hartmann goes on to detail the ways in which safety nets for working people (from progressive taxation to antitrust legislation to Social Security) have been steadily weakened, and argues that an empowered, educated middle class is crucial to a functioning democracy. Chapters detail the ways in which what gets called "the free market" is not really free (for good reason, he notes), how "We the People create the middle class," how the policies of the Founding Fathers and figures like FDR still have a lot to teach us, and ways for "Leveling the Playing Field." Though far from comprehensive, and despite its sensationalist title, Hartmann's latest is an intelligent critique of the contemporary plight of the middle class.
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