America's Financial Apocalypse: How to Profit from the Next Great Depression

America's Financial Apocalypse: How to Profit from the Next Great Depression
Average customer rating:

Excellent presentation of data, some mistakes

Riddled with inaccuracies

A chilling but accurate expose of how we came to be in such economic peril as a capitalist nation

This Book Has NO Comparable!

Hold on there....

America's Financial Apocalypse: How to Profit from the Next Great Depression
Stathis
Manufacturer: AVA Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Introduction | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Retirement Planning | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse (Lynn Sonberg Books)

Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future from Four Impending Catastrophes

The Second Great Depression

America's Bubble Economy: Profit When It Pops

The Great Bust Ahead: The Greatest Depression in American and UK History is Just Several Short Years Away. This is your Concise Reference Guide to Understanding Why and How Best to Survive It

ASIN: 0975577654

Product Description

By the early 90s, a raging bull market was delivering spectacular returns, causing some to believe that a market collapse and subsequent depression would soon appear. As a result of these fears, some exited the capital markets altogether. Thereafter, the Internet took off causing the market bubble to swell, many high-tech stocks with seemingly limitless valuations. Over the course of its 13-year stretch, the market appreciated by over 600 percent, with average annual returns in excess of 18 percent. And we all remember what happened at the start of the new millennium. Even after the deflation of the Internet bubble, cautious investors who pulled out of the market a decade earlier missed out on spectacular returns since then. Many investors who entered the market near its peak suffered devastating losses. But most who remained invested since the early 90s are still much better off today. While this correction revealed the most recent illusions embedded within the economy, it s only a small part of what will be a larger correction in the coming years. Despite the scandals in corporate America and Wall Street, many investors fail to recognize that the post-bubble period is quite different from the Bull Run in the 90s. But today, the capital markets have been realigned with authenticity, and economics now control the investment cycle rather than hype generated by Wall Street. Accordingly, Wall Street and the U.S. Government can only hide the realities of America s decline for so long. Unfortunately, America entered the free trade paradigm as a losing participant from the start. While America remains as the centerpiece for the global economy, it relies on record debt to maintain its status as the world s strongest consumer marketplace. But this cannot last much longer. America s vulnerable role in the new economy threatens to erode the strength of its empire. Already, America has witnessed a gradual disappearance of its core citizens; the middle class. As well, poverty continues to grow while America s wealthiest quintile increases their wealth. These trends have been masked by record levels of credit-based spending and manipulation of economic data. For over two decades, several nations have benefited at the expense of America s job base and living standards. This led to a long period of excessive consumption relative to productivity. When the economic boom from the post-war period began to lose steam in the 60s, consumption began to exceed productivity, as Americans refused to acknowledge a decline in living standards. Up until the 70s, America fueled this consumption-production disparity using the surplus wealth generated during the post-war boom. During the 80s, America s growing consumption was compounded by massive government spending and a devastating oil crisis. Shortly thereafter, the consumer credit industry grew to meet the demands of a nation experiencing large productivity deficits. And today, America is vastly different than the post-war period. Rather than increases in net wealth, America s growth over the past two decades has been fueled by credit spending which has created the illusion of impressive productivity, while serving to mask declining living standards. As a consequence of these changes, America s financial industry is now one of its biggest and most profitable. Today, America is more dependent on foreign nations than anytime in its history. Declining oil reserves and a foreign-funded credit bubble have positioned the fate of this nation in the hands of the world. Soon, America will face the economic burden of 76 million aging boomers. Beginning in 2011, mandatory expenditures for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security will start to grow rapidly. By 2025, these expenses will have swelled to unthinkable levels.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent presentation of data, some mistakes.......2007-10-11

The author did an excellent job compiling data that is extremely important to understand if one is to thrive in America in the next 2 decades. There will no doubt be sweeping changes to rectify our current account deficit and aging boomer population. The author shed light on the politics behind Greenspan & Co's delay when our country needs to address these problems now. Other topics include: the .com bubble, real estate / credit bubble, free trade, health care, social security, energy crisis, and education.

Yes there are typos and some minor implications that are incorrect, but I don't believe they affect the overall concepts presented. I have also read "The Dollar Crisis" and find both books to be honest presentations of America's current economic state. I would have enjoyed even more information on developing nations, but the title of the book focuses on America, so be it. Overall, I felt this book was an excellent read that is neither conservative nor extreme but simply a presentation of data and well-thought hypothetical analysis of what is to come for America. Only the typos keep it from getting 5 stars.

Riddled with inaccuracies.......2007-07-30

This book manages to cover all major problems faced by the United States in the next 20-30 years - trade deficit, healthcare crisis, education crisis, etc. - and it does so in a fairly comprehensive way, with large numbers of facts and graphs.

The reason why I can't give it more than 3 stars for this achievement is that the number of mistakes it contains (from misspellings to factual errors) is absolutely incredible. It seems that no one (other than the author) so much as read the book before it went to the printing press.

First of all, there are spelling errors. English is not my native language, yet I've been able to notice one spelling error every 20-30 pages. "Notices in-lue of gold" (p.2). "Right to bare arms" (p.25). "America will loose its technology edge" (p.61), and so on. There are factual errors as well. According to the author, Statue of Liberty was erected on Ellis Island (p.27), Berlin Wall fell "a few years" after 1991 (p.10), and Albert Einstein immigrated into the United States in 1940. He thinks that women who give birth after entering the United States illegally are guaranteed citizenship because their newborns become U.S. citizens (p.32) - but he either does not know or fails to mention that they have to wait for their child to turn 18 before they even have a shot at legalization. He frequently claims (or implies) that Chinese goods are cheaper because Chinese government and Chinese companies do not provide healthcare or retirement benefits to their workers (p.41), when in fact they do. All these problems make me wary of any other claims he makes in his book.

There are many interesting graphs and charts in the book, but at least some of them were "cooked up" by the author from third-party data, so they are not always reliable. One rather puzzling chart is located on p. 113. It is a pie-chart labelled "Factors Driving Rising Costs in Healthcare (2001-2002, in $ billions)". However, pieces of the pie are labelled with percentage values and clearly add up to 100% (e.g. "Increased Consumer Demand, 15%"). Author comments, "Someone explain to me the economics of increased consumer demand leading to a 15% increase in healthcare costs in one year". It's clear that he has no idea what's really shown on the chart.

The book is heavy on portrayal of various weaknesses in modern U.S. economy, but rather light on attempts to predict the future. There is almost no discussion about the impact of American crisis on the rest of the world. Author predicts major revaluation of the dollar, but does not provide any macroeconomic analysis of consequences of this revaluation. He seems to think that collapse will not occur at least until 2012, but he's not very clear why he thinks it won't be triggered by deflation of the real estate bubble.

Overall this is an interesting and comprehensive book that's worth reading for anyone who thinks that U.S. economy is doing well, but it's not scientific or reliable enough to be of real value for an investor.

I recommend "Dollar Crisis" as a complementary treatment of the U.S trade deficit / credit bubble problem.

A chilling but accurate expose of how we came to be in such economic peril as a capitalist nation.......2007-06-10

In writing "America's Financial Apocalypse: How To Profit From The Next Great Depression", the author draws upon his many years of experience and expertise as a business, financial, and investment consultant for two of Wall Street's largest investment firms and elsewhere in private financial markets. Strathis provides an impressively analytical explanation as to how the liberals on the left and the conservatives on the right are working in differing ways to destroy America's fiscal and economic well-being; how the federal government in Washington is dominated by corporations; how China has taken total advantage of America's trading policies to our nation's detriment. Readers will be shocked to learn how America is legally bankrupt; how today the 'American Dream' cannot be achieved by most American citizens; the truth concerning the future of Social Security; the inevitable and looming consequences of the present pension plan crisis; and why most Americans working today will not be able to retire as their parent were able to in the past. "America's Financial Apocalypse" also addresses just how the American government manipulates economic data; how the Bush administration is responsible for the worst economic recovery in American financial history; how the real estate bubble could cause the stock and bond markets to collapse; how America's political and economic fate is in the hands of foreign countries; why the American government is really allied to the Saudi Arabians despite the established identities of the 9/11 attack; the looming global oil crisis; Alan Greenspans dismal performance as a Fed Chairman; the plummeting value of the dollar in the international currency markets; and the continuing rise in value of precious metals and oil. After laying out all of these 'inconvenient truths' about America's economic future, Strathis also lays out how the wise and savvy investor can still profit from an inevitable depression that will collapse America's economy in the very near future. A chilling but accurate expose of how we came to be in such economic peril as a capitalist nation, "America's Financial Apocalypse" is especially recommended reading for its clear and methodical explanation of just how the individual investor can survive what will prove to be the 'Next Great Depression'.

This Book Has NO Comparable!.......2007-04-05

Finally, an insightful, detailed, and massive compilation of America's economy and investment markets. This book is HIGHY recommended.

The reviewer below is actually wrong in his simplistic assumption that deflation is the exact opposite of inflation. While deflation tends to cause a relative increase in buying power, this effect is only when deflation is modest and in the early stages. During a more prolonged period, deflation creates a decline in GDP and therefore purchasing power due to the relative effects on currency exchange rates.

I find it amazing that a person could give such a bad review over one statement that he thinks is wrong (when in fact it is not) despite all of the massive data and extensive coverage of material. If a reader chooses to cherry pick from within a massive resource such as this book, they will miss the forest from the trees.

Hold on there...........2007-04-05

After spending $55+ for this book, I started to leaf through it and promptly came across the following comment: "...rising gold prices usually result from a deflationary economy not an inflationary one, as investors seek to minimize the loss in buying power of their currency." So far as I know, a deflationary environment INCREASES the buying power of one's currency, as prices generally decrease during a deflationary episode. In other words, one can buy more loaves of bread per dollar in the bank. Gold is generally a hedge against inflation or fiat currency collapse, not deflation. Given what seems to me a basic error of this nature, I will be skeptical of other information in the book.

International Relations and World Politics: Security, Economy, Identity (3rd Edition)

Average customer rating:

Great Intro to IR

International Relations and World Politics: Security, Economy, Identity (3rd Edition)
Paul R. Viotti , and Mark V. Kauppi
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Conditions | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

International Relations Theory: Realism, Pluralism, Globalism, and Beyond (3rd Edition)
Conflict and Cooperation: Evolving Theories of International Relations
Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to Theory and History (Longman Classics in Political Science)
Understanding International Conflicts (6th Edition) (Longman Classics in Political Science)
Global Politics in a Changing World: A Reader

ASIN: 0131844156

Book Description

This comprehensive introduction to international relations focuses on what has changed and what has remained the same since the end of the cold war. Providing a strong conceptual, historical, and theoretical foundation, it identifies key perspectives and the actors in world politics, explains the concepts, tracks the trends (global interdependence and crises of authority), and examines current and future global concerns. KEY TOPICS: The volume provides an introduction to trends, perspectives and concepts, and examines security and statecraft, international security, civil society and the global economy, religion, nationalism and conflicting identities and civil society. For political science and international relations professionals and others interested in the global agenda.

Customer Reviews:

Great Intro to IR.......2006-12-28

Unbiased evaluation of international relations focusing on key issues of security, economics, and identity. Other themes include globalization and resource managment. Each segment includes web links to locations which further your study. Each chapter includes historical perspective as well as theroetical underpinnings. The end of the book has a handy glossary from which to quickly recall previously discussed definitions. Whether you are a realist, internationalist, structuralist or feminist, or a little of each, you will improve your understanding on the state of nations and how we got here and hopefully develop insight into where we are going.

America's Bubble Economy: Profit When It Pops

Average customer rating:

Big on assertions, little on proofs or data
An "Easy Read" (repetitive and simplistic)
Colladoproperties.com
Bleak view of the US economy, and sadly, completely accurate.
Great Analysis

America's Bubble Economy: Profit When It Pops
David Wiedemer , Robert Wiedemer , Cindy Spitzer , and Eric Janszen
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Introduction | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Credit Ratings & Repair | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse (Lynn Sonberg Books)
Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future from Four Impending Catastrophes
The Great Bust Ahead: The Greatest Depression in American and UK History is Just Several Short Years Away. This is your Concise Reference Guide to Understanding Why and How Best to Survive It
The Second Great Depression
The Coming Collapse of the Dollar and How to Profit from It: Make a Fortune by Investing in Gold and Other Hard Assets

ASIN: 047175367X

Book Description

America’s Bubble Economy is the first book to focus on several simultaneous financial bubbles that are interacting to temporarily boost—and ultimately threaten—the United States and world economies. Filled with expert analysis and straight talk, this book will show you how to turn the coming economic transformation into a once-in-a-lifetime wealth-building opportunity.

Customer Reviews:

Big on assertions, little on proofs or data.......2007-08-09

The authors make a common mistake of talking about numbers (like federal deficits) in absolute terms. These numbers are always big, and create an immediate feeling they must be bad. Compared to our GNP and our national return on assets, how much debt is good, and how much is bad? Unfortunately these questions are never addressed by the authors. The authors make many "self-evident" assertions, and then create scenerios based upon these assertions. Don't look to this book for involved analysis on why the assertions might be true. Buy this book if you are already convinced and want some very general ideas on how to deal with bubbles.

An "Easy Read" (repetitive and simplistic).......2007-04-25

"America's Bubble Economy" tells us what we already have heard countless times - the stock market, consumer spending, home values, the trade deficit, consumer debt, and the government deficit are all UP SHARPLY! Japan and China now hold our future in their hands!

Recommendations include 1)avoid real estate, except for personal use (why not also recommend renting?), buy gold, commodities, and Euros (won't that create new bubbles?), stash cash in short-term funds, avoid jobs in the capital sector (most have already moved to China; what about service jobs vulnerable to India?), and become employed in healthcare or transportation (what about the current slide in trucking jobs and President Bush's efforts to let Mexican truckers in?).

Yes, I do think we have serious problems - however, "America's Bubble Economy" is too simplistic.

Colladoproperties.com.......2007-03-28

There are five bubbles in the economy, and thats not including the false promises of Social security and medicare.

Its not even including the fact that we are in peak oil.

The reality is that we have Real Estate overpriced and beginning to fall towards a crash.

The dollar approaching 80, after that its a spiral downward.

Consumer Debt is at its highest in history. People are litteraly in debt to their eyeballs.

An international trade deficit with China that may well make us one of the poorest nation in the coming future.

A national Debt of 7 billion/week.

Do not ignore the warning signs.

This book will tell you how to get prepaired.

Bleak view of the US economy, and sadly, completely accurate........2007-02-15

I've read several books recently about profiting from real estate, economic theory, the future of the US economy, etc, and I am more than a little freaked out to report that this book is both the most scary of the bunch and is also panning out to be the most accurate.

I've been recommending "America's Bubble Economy" relentlessly to my friends, and I've changed my investment strategies accordingly. Now I cross my fingers, bite my nails, and hope that Wiedemer, against all common sense and logic, is overexaggerating.

Great Analysis.......2007-01-04

Great Analysis! Am not sure that I agree with all of the conclusions, only time will tell.

Average customer rating:

A THESIS OF EXCELLENCE ON HOW DEPRESSIONS HAPPEN
Dated and not so great
Debt on top of debt as we survive on a sort of "flywheel" effect. (but when happens when they call in the loans?)
Very worthwhile reading
Convincing!

The Second Great Depression
Warren Brussee
Manufacturer: Booklocker.com, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Microeconomics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Debt & Deficits | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Stocks | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Credit Ratings & Repair | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Great Bust Ahead: The Greatest Depression in American and UK History is Just Several Short Years Away. This is your Concise Reference Guide to Understanding Why and How Best to Survive It
Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse (Lynn Sonberg Books)
Empire of Debt: The Rise of an Epic Financial Crisis
Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future from Four Impending Catastrophes
The Coming Economic Collapse: How You Can Thrive When Oil Costs $200 a Barrel

ASIN: 1591136881

Book Description

This frightening book shows how massive consumer debt will trigger the next depression, starting in 2007. With interest rates increasing, savings rates near zero and debt at its maximum, people will be pushed over their debt limit, causing the depression.

Customer Reviews:

A THESIS OF EXCELLENCE ON HOW DEPRESSIONS HAPPEN.......2007-09-09

A Timeless work of Mastery in that it exposes what will be obvious in a few months to years. Based on concrete fact the conclusions support the facts. A Brilliant Writ which should be in every Economics class from High School to College!
A must read from the young entrepenuer to the MBA.
What the Government wishes to avoid is the harsh reality of impending Depression. After a brief dicussion with the author I can state he is a solid concrete thinker. I have injected thoughts of Taxflation (TM) which are sure to happen. I hope for sequele where the author can expound on defensive manuvers. One which I thought of is the "Roth Shuffle" (T.M.) about to take effect where 401 K's, IRAs and Sep Iras can be converted and taxed up front removing the Draconian "Taxflation" T.M. from future years of the Next Great Depression.
This gives more leverage to the author's well done tables of pension and investment income preserved by TIPS. Don Iden MD,FAAD,FABD,Mayo Clinic Alumnus. 4521 S Staples Street Ste 100 Corpus Christi, TX 78411-2603

Dated and not so great.......2007-03-15

This book doesn't really contain anything I didn't already know from books like "Empire of Debt" by Bonner and Wiggin. The latter is a much more well researched and well written book in addition to being more current. I would recommend it instead if you haven't read it. This book at hand had mediocre writing and some arguments that were crankish, especially the ones regarding investing in the stock market. It has many charts but most of them are rather obvious from the text and often unnecessary. Much of the data tables are things anyone could crank out on a spreadsheet program with ease and are embarrassingly simplistic at times. I do not recommend this book.

Debt on top of debt as we survive on a sort of "flywheel" effect. (but when happens when they call in the loans?).......2006-11-21

Being an Engineer myself, I appreciate his approach to analyzing a problem and breaking it down into parts. I think the data he has pulled together is very relevant, and his conclusion make sense. (I only wish they did not)

The world assigns a certain "value" to everything, and the value we have as a country is that of a consumer. Without our consumption, these fast climbing countries would NOT be able to grow their production capacity. (their own value)

The problem is that we are such poor savers that these "growing" producers are actually loaning us the money to buy their goods! in doing so, they are handing us the rope to hang ourselves!

If and when they build up enough wealth and consumption in their own society that they do not need us.....they will cut off our allowance and expect us to pay them back....then what?

This book has a similar view of our problems as another book I read called "Three Billion New Capitalists", though the author of that book was the Counselor to the Secretary of Commerce under Ronald Reagan. So while that book talked with quite a bit of first-hand knowledge, Mr. Brussee lookst at the same situation by analyzing all the data that is available to each of us...except he pulls it all together and makes sense of it.

I think Mr. Brussee has a more negative outlook for the situation, though I don't think either book paints a rosey picture of how our debt and imbalance of trade is doing anything by killing our value/worth to the world.

Both of the above books are worth the price and I suggest you read both books.

Very worthwhile reading.......2006-11-10

The author offers fairly complelling evidence for his prediction - I have actually checked the Personal Savings Rate [...] and found that his prediction in that area is still holding firm. Recent (Nov '06) news reports also agree that the public debt is reaching unsustainable levels. Now the stock market is going even higher (read over-valued) so we have a situation that appears to be just the scenario that the author paints.
The book is fairly dry but unfortunately the bare facts usually are.

Convincing!.......2006-06-12

Based on clear analysis of economic facts, Brussees conclusions are very convincing. Get ready!
Max Otte, Ph.D.
Professor of International Business

The Demise of the Dollar... and Why It's Great For Your Investments

Average customer rating:

Don't waste your time
Wig out with Addison Wiggin
garbage
Can get a bit long-winded, but a good read
Less words please

The Demise of the Dollar... and Why It's Great For Your Investments
Addison Wiggin
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Money & Monetary Policy | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Empire of Debt: The Rise of an Epic Financial Crisis
The Coming Collapse of the Dollar and How to Profit from It: Make a Fortune by Investing in Gold and Other Hard Assets
The Great Bust Ahead: The Greatest Depression in American and UK History is Just Several Short Years Away. This is your Concise Reference Guide to Understanding Why and How Best to Survive It
Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse (Lynn Sonberg Books)
Hot Commodities: How Anyone Can Invest Profitably in the World's Best Market

ASIN: 0471746010

Amazon.com

"Our long history of economic power and wealth is being eroded from within," writes Addison Wiggin, and the result will be reduced foreign investment, slow foreign demand for U.S. goods, and unfavorable currency exchange rates. A heavy debt burden, the trade deficit, and structural imbalances have created an unstable dollar bubble, and according to Wiggin, it's not a matter of if the bubble will burst, but when. That's the bad news. The good news is that hidden investment opportunities are waiting behind the weakening dollar. In The Demise of the Dollar… and Why It's Great for Your Investments Wiggin offers advice to readers looking to capitalize on this reality; specifically, he encourages investing in precious metals, tangible resources, and some select foreign markets.

Along with investment advice, Wiggin provides a brief history of government and consumer spending habits and how they have changed over the past 200 years. In clear language, he states the reasons for the dollar's decline, and provides explanations of the forces behind inflation, modern corporate accounting and adjustment schemes, the parallels between corporate failures and government policies, the implications of the national debt and deficit spending, and the distinctions between productive and consumptive debt. He also discusses how foreign countries, particularly China, are ultimately in control of the U.S.'s economic fate due to the staggering amount of credit they have extended. Wiggin is highly critical of Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's policies, particularly the massive shift from production to credit that he has espoused, and calls into question his efforts to manage the dollar's value. Of course, Greenspan was not working alone--every president since Ronald Reagan has embraced his views. Written for lay readers, The Demise of the Dollar offers a practical analysis of what the "twilight of the Great Dollar Standard Era" may bring. --Shawn Carkonen

Book Description

As the dollar continues to weaken against other currencies, it is increasingly clear that this event will have a significant impact on investors and consumers around the world. Never before has the "reserve currency of the world" been so burdened by debt or suffered from such serious structural imbalances. The Demise of the Dollar . . . And Why It’s Great for Your Investments examines the reasons for the dollar’s current slide and offers an up-close look at the Federal Reserve’s attempts to "manage" the dollar’s value. Filled with in-depth insights, wry wit, and sound advice, this intriguing text offers an inside glimpse of the reality of today’s dollar and its impact on the world’s economies as well as readers’ personal portfolios.

Download Description

As the dollar continues to weaken against other currencies, it is increasingly clear that this event will have a significant impact on investors and consumers around the world. Never before has the ""reserve currency of the world"" been so burdened by debt or suffered from such serious structural imbalances. The Demise of the Dollar...And Why It's Great for Your Investmentsexamines the reasons for the dollar's current slide and offers an up-close look at the Federal Reserve's attempts to ""manage"" the dollar's value. Filled with in-depth insights, wry wit, and sound advice, this intriguing text offers an inside glimpse of the reality of today's dollar and its impact on the world's economies as well as readers' personal portfolios.

Customer Reviews:

Don't waste your time.......2007-09-24

Don't waste your time reading through the chapters. This author just repeats the same things over and over and ooover. Bash Greenspan, hail gold, and repeat... again and again. I have been close to throwing it out the window (or against a wall) many times, but -mistakenly- kept reading through it to the final chapter.

Save yourself the time waster. It just provides a little -very little- of economic background and then suggests to buy gold, CDs in other currencies, and short the dollar. If you really want to read it, just read chapter 8. If you're unsure, don't even buy it.

Wig out with Addison Wiggin.......2007-01-16

Though not nearly as fun to read as Empire of Debt, it's an excellent read about the current state of affairs in the US. This is a no-nonsense, un-shellacked account of the US economy and answers some of those questions we all have floating around in our heads (such as: The media and government say the economy is doing great but why does it seem like I have less money to live on each year?) If you're feeling depressed lately, you may want to put this one aside for awhile. But if you desire to learn how to profit from the current US slide, pick it up.

garbage.......2007-01-02

BS violates economics found in Rick Boettger's Deficit Lie, Economics Problem solver, 2 undergraduate crses and 2 graduate crses in econ, two graduate finance crses, and Jim Cramer's advice on investing in currencies i.e. bad idea/sure way to lose money. Finally why work to destroy America when by following the advice of real economists and other advisors you can improve America. Also tends to beat it to death.

Can get a bit long-winded, but a good read.......2006-12-03

I found this book very interesting. Even though the author can go on and on about the same points, 1 year after this book was written, most things he predicts are correct.

Gold investments are up, the dollar is down, housing is slowing, and US manufacturing continues to go overseas.

Less words please.......2006-07-05

This writing team likes to take a subject and work it into a full length book by repeating the same theme endlessly. They should have created a long magazine piece or a booklet, but as financial wizards they know where the money is. Nevertheless, this book and its subject may save you a fortune if the demise of the dollar occurs.

Why Geography Matters: Three Challenges Facing America: Climate Change, the Rise of China, and Global Terrorism

Average customer rating:

Occasionally insightful, but generally uninspired
Important book
What we should have learned in school about the world...
Very informative reading
Debunking the global warming myth!

Why Geography Matters: Three Challenges Facing America: Climate Change, the Rise of China, and Global Terrorism
Harm de Blij
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300-1850
Before We Were Free (Readers Circle)
Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World
Floods, Famines, and Emperors : El Nino and the Fate of Civilizations
Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years

ASIN: 0195315820

Book Description

Over the next half century, the human population, divided by culture and economics and armed with weapons of mass destruction, will expand to nearly 9 billion people. Abrupt climate change may throw the global system into chaos; China will emerge as a superpower; and Islamic terrorism and insurgency will threaten vital American interests. How can we understand these and other global challenges? Harm de Blij has a simple answer: by improving our understanding of the world's geography. In Why Geography Matters, de Blij demonstrates how geography's perspectives yield unique and penetrating insights into the interconnections that mark our shrinking world. Preparing for climate change, averting a cold war with China, defeating terrorism: all of this requires geographic knowledge. De Blij also makes an urgent call to restore geography to America's educational curriculum. He shows how and why the U.S. has become the world's most geographically illiterate society of consequence, and demonstrates the great risk this poses to America's national security. Peppering his writing with anecdotes from his own professional travels, de Blij provides an original treatise that is as engaging as it is eye opening. Casual or professional readers in areas such as education, politics, or national security will find themselves with a stimulating new perspective on geography as it continues to affect our world.

Customer Reviews:

Occasionally insightful, but generally uninspired.......2007-08-29

I would describe this book as the rambling--but occasionally insightful--musings of a thoughtful scholar. Unfortunately, many, if not most, of Blij's arguments are not made from a geographic perspective. For instance, his chapter on the European Union rambles on for page after page about the history of the EU from the European Coal and Steel Community, to the European Economic Community, to the European Community, and, finally, to the European Union. That's not to say that's not and interesting and important history lesson for people who are unfamiliar with EU history, but its not geographic! I was hoping for a book of theories explaining human events using reasoning built on spatial orientations or location. Why Geography Matters had some of that, but Blij could have, in my view, omitted much of the voluminous background information. Doing some would have made his book more concise and allowing his genuine insights to be featured more prominently.

And for what its worth, the book could have used a better editor. For instance, on p.160 it refers to "South Ossetia" as a Russian Republic instead of North Ossetia. I noticed a couple errors like this.

Perhaps, I would be more positive about this book if its last chapter hadn't been the low point. The chapter on Africa had absolutely nothing original to say (AIDS is bad, we need to do more to stop it; colonization and slavery were bad too; Africa has been plagued by bad leadership; etc.).

Important book.......2007-08-28

This is an exceptional and needed introduction to Geography and how it relates to world problems.

What we should have learned in school about the world..........2007-05-27

This is essential reading for anyone who should have a sound foundation of knowledge to back up one's social commentary, but doesn't. Geography can be understood and used to understand our world with great clarity. Everyone who watched Al Gore's movie should read this book if only to know that Harm de Blij has been explaining geographic issues for decades better than nearly anyone.

The US Department of Education needs to buy and issue a copy of this book to every teacher in America.

Very informative reading.......2007-05-13

This is definitely a quality work in the field of Geography with an emphasis on Politics i.e. GeoPolitics. However, it is important to point out a couple of incorrect facts I found while reading this work.

1. On page 190 we have the statement, "On an aircraft carrier off the coast of California, President Bush declared "mission accomplished.", regarding the war in Iraq. If you read the speech that President Bush gave, you will find that he never uttered the words "mission accomplished." The author just regurgitated this line from the biased print media i.e. The NYTimes, Time, Newsweek, etc... Intuitively, if you think about it, George Bush, assigns the mission to the military and after assigning the mission to the military he is not going to turn around and say good "mission accomplished. That is what the military's response, will be, to the President, after they have completed the mission. This is reflected by the fact that the military hung a banner up on the aircraft carrier that said "Mission Accomplished."

2. On pages 193-194 The author states. "The American invasion severly damaged the city, which was for months afterward, and remains as of this writing, without a reliable water supply, power, medical facilities, or schools." It is very true that much of the infrastructure in Iraq is severly damaged, but the author has tried to blame this on American firepower and it is simply not true. The precision guided weapons our U.S. forces utilized were excellent at avoiding collateral damage. The truth is more damning for the Saddam regime. THE INFRASTUCTURE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY 30 PLUS YEARS OF NEGLECT ON THE PART OF THE BAATH PARTY AND NOT AMERICAN MILITARY MIGHT. Also, the military planners who provided for getting the infrastructure back online, after the war, grossly underestimated the level of the existing infrastructure of Iraq, before the U.S. military even set foot inside the country.

Overall I recommend this work, but it cannot be given five stars due to these errors.

Debunking the global warming myth!.......2007-03-08

This is an excellent book based on scientific fact debunking the "global warming" myth.

I highly recommend this book.

Average customer rating:

A must reading for all Americans!
A study of the power of the US "defense" industry
Brings facts together in one place and gives cogent analysis
handsome butcher
Empire's Pricetag

Political Economy of U.S. Militarism
Ismael Hossein-zadeh
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Economic Conditions | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic (American Empire Project)
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
Target Iran: The Truth About the White House's Plans for Regime Change
Blowback, Second Edition: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire

ASIN: 1403972850
Release Date: 2006-07-20

Book Description

This wide-ranging, interdisciplinary analysis blends history, economics, and politics to challenge most of the prevailing accounts of the rise of U.S. militarism. While acknowledging the contributory role of some of the most widely-cited culprits (big oil, neoconservative ideology, the Zionist lobby, and President Bush's world outlook), this study explores the bigger, but largely submerged, picture: the political economy of war and militarism. The study is unique not only for its thorough examination of the economics of military spending, but also for its careful analysis of a series of closely related topics (petroleum, geopolitics, imperialism, terrorism, religious fundamentalism, the war in Iraq, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict) that may appear as digressions but, in fact, help shed more light on the main investigation.

Customer Reviews:

A must reading for all Americans!.......2007-08-12

Professor Hossein-zadeh takes over where the late Seymour Melman left off, showing the absurdity & perils of military spending. Those of you familar with Melman, who was a professor of industrial engineering at Columbia University know that time & time again in his many books, he demonstrated how ludicrous defense spending had become through numerous examples. The money spent on "overkill", the cost overuns, the many uneeded military projects, expensive quality control problems coupled with system & hardware failures are just several he often reiterated.
Dr. Hossein-zadeh takes the subject a bit further & in a new direction. He is backed by irrefutable statistics, documents & history itself to prove his case against excessive & unwarrented military spending. All of it very comprehensible, even to someone with no background in economics & a minute knowledge post WW2 history. By reading this book, one can gain some insight into the modus operandi of the military-industrial complex & its the effect it has on the economy,political establishment & both domestic & foreign policy.

A study of the power of the US "defense" industry.......2007-04-04

I loved it. It's packed with explicit information on the tight relationship and revolving door between war profiteers and government officials--they're often one and the same--naming names and providing dollar amounts and sources of information. When you study this book, you will gain an understanding of what motivates the neocons to start wars. Money makes the world go around: you will learn a great deal about why the current US administration bombed Afghanistan, then Iraq, and now appears to be aimed at Iran. Why would anyone want never-ending war?

Hossein-zadeh points out that it is the industrial part of the military-industrial complex that is most problematic because it is driven by the profit motive.

I happen to disagree with Hossein-zadeh in that I think the oil transnationals also want wars in the Middle East. (He says these entities prefer stability.) This difference in views detracts nothing, however, from his analysis of the military-industrial aspect of these conflicts.

I'm a writer and use this book as a reference.

I hope it comes out in paperback so more people can afford it.

Brings facts together in one place and gives cogent analysis.......2007-01-12

This book brings together lots of individual facts, statistics, and citations that those with a concern about US militarism who attentively follow current events and recent US history will have come upon in disparate locations.

The genius of the book is that it puts all of this information in one place and presents it in a coherent structure. It is also very clearly written. The citations and bibliography are useful starting points for those wishing to delve more deeply into the economic underpinnings of the military-industrial complex.

handsome butcher.......2007-01-10

most comprehencive ,well documented,well researched book exposing the essence of our heartless government subserviant to the demands of giant corporations sacrificing the ones it is elected to protect.

Empire's Pricetag.......2006-12-20

Ismael Hossein-Zadeh's The Political Economy of U.S. Militarism will greatly surprise readers who imagine that what lies between its covers is an abstruse economics argument or a rant against the war in Iraq. This accessible, lucid, and generously documented approach to the history of military engagement by the United States since World War II clearly is written with a mainstream audience in mind although its hardcover price of $80 is out of the average reader's ballpark. Hopefully libraries will pick up the title since every taxpayer deserves the chance to consider Hossein-Zadeh's thesis. In short, he demonstrates that although the economic gains of imperialism might have supported required military outlays for a period, there comes a time in every empire's life when further expansion no longer is cost-effective for the metropole and becomes a drain on the national economy. At this point, the war industry becomes "parasitic" as the dividends of empire fall more and more disproportionately into the laps of those associated with military efforts. Hossein-Zadeh considers the current period in U.S. history such a time.

Readers may have heard this claim before. But few if any will have met such a persuasive presentation of it. The book is extremely helpful in how it identifies and then dismantles what Hossein-Zadeh considers weak explanations for why the United States continues to engage in military intervention and expansion abroad. The first is the widespread theory among liberals that the neoconservative element of the U.S. political scene is attempting to take advantage of the absence of a comparable world power in order to spread American values and free market economics. The second is that George Bush is spearheading military adventurism as a result of the need to pose as a "war president" so as to mask the failings of his administration. The third is that America's Zionist lobbyists are championing the war on Iraq in order to shore up U.S. support of Israel. The fourth (and Hossein-Zadeh considers this the most widespread assumption of all) is that the United States is engaging, in the case of Iraq and other Middle Eastern adventures, in military action in order to better control the world's oil resources. Hossein-Zadeh acknowledges and discusses each of these theories, ultimately discarding them as the driving force behind continued U.S. military imperialism.

Instead, he suggests that the military imperialism we are witnessing today "can be seen largely as reflections of the metaphorical fights over allocation of the public finance at home, of a subtle or insidious strategy to redistribute national resources in favor of the wealthy, to cut public spending on socioeconomic infrastructures, and to reverse the New Deal reforms by expanding military spending." Survival of the working man and woman aside, also at stake is the question of which cabal of capitalists will come out on top--the neoliberal multilateralists who favor globalization--that is, the expansion of free markets throughout the world in order to make way for the products of multinationals largely unconnected with war, or the unilateralists, who tend to be linked to the military industry and to other industries that are not competitive in the international marketplace.

In addition to providing engaging economic explanations and political commentary such as those already mentioned, Hossein-Zadeh offers a number of other helpful analyses. He makes a distinction between the military bureaucracies of past empires--e.g., Rome--and America's present-day military industry, which reflects the imperatives of an advanced capitalist economy. Bearing in mind this distinction, he suggests, unlike many who see the United States as declining in the mode of Rome, that decline of the United States more likely would follow that of the British Empire. He points out that multilateralists have in no way been eliminated by unilateralists; rather, leading capitalist countries tend to experience alternating periods characterized by resurgence and diminution of the importance of these two poles. He also acknowledges the benefits of the military industry on an economy such as that of the United States. Finally, as an Iranian-American he offers a unique perspective in terms of political economy on the issue of religious fundamentalism and the fraught relations between the West and the Muslim world. Ismael Hossein-Zadeh's The Political Economy of U.S. Militarism is a fascinating text and one that deserves to be as accessible to the average pocketbook as it is to the average reader.

To Serve and Protect: Privatization and Community in Criminal Justice (Political Economy of the Austrian School Series)

Average customer rating:

More timely than ever, unfortunately
What we have to avoid !
A brilliant follow up to Benson's "The Enterprise of Law"

To Serve and Protect: Privatization and Community in Criminal Justice (Political Economy of the Austrian School Series)
Bruce Benson
Manufacturer: NYU Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Legal System | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Penology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Criminal Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Law Enforcement | Criminal Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Privatization | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Drug War Crimes: The Consequences of Prohibition
Market for Liberty
The Machinery of Freedom: A Guide to Radical Capitalism
The Myth of National Defense
Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement

ASIN: 0814713270
Release Date: 1998-08-01

Customer Reviews:

More timely than ever, unfortunately.......2001-09-26

In the wake of a terrible terrorist attack, various public voices are arguing for liberty-threatening countermeasures -- increases in federal power, the placement of federal marshals on aircraft, the unreasonable search and seziure of airline passengers, and so forth. Almost unnoticed and unmentioned is the fact that the terrorists succeeded in killing thousands using, apparently, no weapon more powerful than a box cutter.

A handful who are aware of this salient point are claiming that airline security was lax owing to "market failure." This is supposed to relieve us of the responsibility to establish security by means that respect rights.

But Bruce Benson's _To Serve and Protect_ addressed all of this several years ago -- broadly and in principle, though of course with no explicit discussion of the proper security measures for airlines to implement. What Benson provides in this volume is a thorough defense of a superficially counterintuitive claim that becomes less and less counterintuitive as time goes on: the free and private market is better, _much_ better, at providing security and criminal justice than is the government.

That means that his book is, sadly, perhaps more timely now than when it was written. By a simple extrapolation of the arguments presented herein, the recent tragedies indicate, not that "private" security provisions put us at risk of "market failures," but that a government monopoly on criminal justice costs lives.

Benson is also the author of the highly recommended _The Enterpise of Law_, which sets out probably the most thorough case to date that _law_ can exist without the institutions of a territorial State. This volume is in some ways a sequel, setting out a positive case as to how "private" criminal law works and why it is, consistently and in principle, superior to government regulation. (And allegations of "market failure" are specifically addressed.)

Check it out. The need for Benson's arguments has never been greater at any time since its publication.

What we have to avoid !.......2000-01-13

Professor Benson's book is very interesting and excite. Good thoughts and insights in criminal justice failures. Benson advocates free market administration of crime and punishment as solution. The question in my opinion is: what we have to avoid ? Criminal justice failures or market rules ? What seems a good ideia, maybe is the wrong way and will cause more problems than solutions. Anyway, you can't be pro or against it without this excellent book.

A brilliant follow up to Benson's "The Enterprise of Law".......1999-09-12

What I love about this book is that it is a must read for both Liberals and Conservatives alike. Benson shows step by step why our monopolized "justice" system works against real justice -- and why the poor are the most likely to suffer at its hands. What is most comforting to me (who wholeheartedly agrees with his findings) is his conclusion that whether or not people like it, the privatization of criminal justice is inevitably growing.

Wages Of Crime: Black Markets, Illegal Finance, And The Underworld Economy

Average customer rating:

cornell press
Political diatribe masquerading as scholarly work
A Marxist perspective on Black Market issues
recomended
A better understanding of Black Markets than regulators have

Wages Of Crime: Black Markets, Illegal Finance, And The Underworld Economy
R. T. Naylor
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Conditions | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Economic Conditions | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Industrial | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Merger : The Conglomeration of International Organized Crime
Crime School: Money Laundering: True Crime Meets the World of Business and Finance
The Race to the Top: The Real Story of Globalization
Blood From Stones: The Secret Financial Network of Terror
Running Guns: The Global Black Market in Small Arms

ASIN: 0801489601

Book Description

"Never in history has there been a black market tamed from the supply side. From Prohibition to prostitution, from gambling to recreational drugs, the story is the same. Supply-side controls act to encourage production and increase profits. At best a few intermediaries get knocked out of business. But as long as demand persists, the market is served more or less as before. In the meantime, failure to `win the war' [against crime] becomes a pretext for increasing police budgets, expanding law enforcement powers, and pouring more money into the voracious maw of the prison-industrial complex."—from the Introduction

R. T. Naylor specializes in the study of smuggling, black markets, and international financial crime. Wages of Crime takes the reader into the shadowy underworld of modern criminal business—arms trafficking, gold smuggling, money laundering, and terrorist financing. Naylor dissects the schemes by which illegal entrepreneurs disguise their acts, manage their take, and eventually enjoy the loot. The author asserts that much of what police, press, politicians, and the public understand about international crime is based on myth and misrepresentation.

Wages of Crime also outlines Naylor's claim that some of the most popular modern law-enforcement fads are inefficient or useless and can do massive damage in eroding civil liberties. In the wake of recent tragedies, Naylor's criticisms of contemporary anticrime policies and the confounding of criminal and national security issues have a sharper resonance.

Customer Reviews:

cornell press.......2007-06-10

Multi faceted and objective look at the underworld economy.
Many statitistics and and overwhelming amount of detailed historical
information. Some sources not sited in what could appear to be
biased editorializations, but these observations are few and far in
between. All in all a great overview.

Political diatribe masquerading as scholarly work.......2006-07-31

When I picked up Wages of Crime, I was hoping to find an objective presentation and debate on the the value of anti-money laundering policies and law enforcement trends. Instead, Naylor, without providing any evidence, reaches conclusions that suit only his own political agenda, which he pretty much makes clear throughout the book. His tone is wholly one sided and dismissive. It's perhaps a good thing that the author reverts to childlike plays on names and other amateurish techniques to support his arguments, for by doing so, he allows the reader to easily dismiss most of what he has to say. Examples of name calling include this sentence: "Hence, advised by neo-con artists crafting its foreign policy...". Neo-con artists. How clever. Or in this passage where he describes the many wonderful things he thinks Hizbullah has done, he includes: "rebuilding houses gratuitously destroyed by Israeli bombs and shells". This book is anything but a serious, unbiased study of the issues.

If you do a Google on Naylor, the first link brings you to an interview where Naylor gets right down to business in the very first question. His answer tells you all you need to know about what you might read from Wages of Crime: "Al Queda itself does not exist, except in the fevered imaginations of neo-cons and Likudniks, some of whom, I suspect, also know it is a myth, but find it extremely useful as a bogeyman to spook the public and the politicians to acquiesce in otherwise unacceptable policy initiatives at home and abroad."

A Marxist perspective on Black Market issues.......2006-06-29

This book on the black market makes a case for going back to views popular in the 1960s. In the 1960s, the black market was populated with cold-war spies and gun running free-booters. Since then, the popular press has painted the black market as a drug running paradise. Naylor tries to convince us this image is a lie. The real black market criminals are capitalist executives in the military-industrial complex. Defined in this manner, 'Wages of Crime' becomes a traditional left wing vehicle for brow beating those unwilling to genuflect before Marxist-Leninist dogma. This critique is not limited to attacks on the US political establishment. At one point Naylor laments that Gorbachev's generation 'forgot its ideological roots'. On another page, Naylor describes the proletarian interests in South East Asia.

The reader won't find the standard pulp crime stories here, which is a blessing. Unfortunately, the book relies on rhetorical flourish rather than statistics. Thus, it simply substitutes one stereotype with a second.

The text was pulled from independent articles, so the flow is sometimes uneven. For example, a chapter seeking to debunk the political might of heroin/cocaine dealers tries to convince the reader that drugs are of marginal economic importance. He complains that the published estimates of drug dealer wealth are too high by perhaps a factor of 100. In another chapter, rich drug dealers engage in crimes with military-industrial complex.

recomended.......2006-02-17

I really think this book gives a great inside in to the economics of ilegal activities.

A better understanding of Black Markets than regulators have.......2006-01-11

R.T. Naylor has a better understanding of illicit markets, than most regulators have. He has obviously done extensive research, on the mechanics of money laundering for example, and knows the legitimate banking system, as well as the underground financial system. I suspect his thesis that organized crime is a myth, may be quite controversial. Nonetheless, he backs up his statements with convincing arguments. The only reason, I did not rate this book 5 stars, is that he slips in his political viewpoints, that are decidedly left of center. As an example, when speaking of Republican congressman Henry Hyde's attempt to reform how banks report questionable transactions to the government, he states, "And for a time, Representative Hyde shifted his energies to more pressing matters, leading the abortive move to impeach Bill Clinton-not because Clinton had gutted the social welfare system, capitulated to the medical establishment on health care, or committed mass murder in Iraq but because of his idiosyncratic taste in custom flavored cigars". (pp.277)These types of gratuitous statements, while rare in this book, take away some of the force of the dilemma most Western countries face in dealing with an underground economy. Still, this is an excellent book, that reads like a college textbook, with priceless insights on offshore banking, money laundering, the underworld gold economy, crime control, and other topics. I strongly suggest this book, as a social commentary of the black market and undergorund economy.

Average customer rating:

This book should be mandatory to everyone in the investment industry
Finance
Not an investment book
Practical guide to our future
Time for Capitalists to form a Union?

The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism
John C. Bogle
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Policy & Current Events | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Free Enterprise | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Reference | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Blowout Books | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns (Little Book Big Profits)
The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing
Unconventional Success: A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment
The Future for Investors: Why the Tried and the True Triumph Over the Bold and the New
Bogle on Mutual Funds: New Perspectives for the Intelligent Investor

ASIN: 0300109903

Book Description

There is no one better qualified to tell us about the failures of the American financial system and the grotesque abuses that have taken place in recent years than John Bogle, who as founder and former chief executive of the Vanguard mutual funds group has seen firsthand the innermost workings of the financial industry. A zealous advocate for the small investor for more than fifty years, Bogle has championed the restoration of integrity in industry practices. As an astute observer and commentator, he knows that a trustworthy business and financial complex is essential to America’s continuing leadership in the world and to social and economic progress at home.
This book tells not just a story about what went wrong but, more important, the story of why we lost our way and of how we can right our course. Bogle argues for a return to a governance structure in which owners’ capital that has been put at risk is used in their interests rather than in the interests of corporate and financial managers. Given that ownership is now consolidated in the hands of relatively few large mutual and pension funds, the specific reforms Bogle details in this book are essential as well as practical. Every investor, analyst, Wall-Streeter, policy maker, and businessperson should read this deeply informed book.

Customer Reviews:

This book should be mandatory to everyone in the investment industry.......2007-03-30

John Bogle clearly points the most important faults capitalism incurs in now days, we owe it to our selves to fight the shamefull practices that have taken over this industry.

Finance.......2007-02-19

If you ever want to get an idea of why Mr. Bogle founded Vanguard, you need to read this book. To him, fees and taxes really do matter to the sucess of a mutual fund. He is straight forward in showing that he feels mutual funds and their managers plus senior corporate management are making too much money or as he say taking too much of your profit. Plus he goes on to show that most mutual funds do not beat the market. Thus they are not worth their fees and their managers do not deserve large salaries, stock options, or bonuses. He will take you back and explain how, in his opinion, the American Capitalism went wrong and offers suggestions to fix this process. He offers lots of supporting articles and reports to back his opinions. If you want to get a history lesson on how capitalism developed in American and the people who made it happen, you will find this in his book. One might think Mr. Bogle is a liberal or very,very far left in his political views as he is out raged over the lack of ethics and money shifts of the corporate world but I believe he is a more to the far right side of the political world and he is truely out raged by corporate America. There is a lot we as individual fund owners can do to make change happen but it will take a lot of effort on our part to change the system.

Not an investment book.......2007-01-10

This book is a call to arms. It will not help an individual investor form a strategy for profiting amongst the corporate looters.

That said, it is an excellent call to arms. Maybe its effect will be motivating more individuals to shun the more egregious parts of the finance industry and to quit being passive owners. That might have an effect.

As for myself, if I'd read this book earlier, I might have recognized, and avoided, a few bad investments (boston chicken, dhb, etc) where the insiders were basically looting from the owners. So, after reading this book, folks should be fired up enough to try identifying greedy corporate management, weak boards of directors, and passive ownership. The book points the way but does not supply the tools.

recent cases in point (as of 1/9/07):

Goldman sachs gives huge bonuses instead of distributing because management rode some bubbles to yield massive paper returns. Will they take money back in a bad year? Good year management gets big bonus, bad year owners eat loss.
Lesson: greedy management, avoid goldman sachs.

Home depot gives a few hundreds of millions severance to the CEO.
Lesson: weak board, avoid home depot

Come to think of it, my S&P index fund holdings are feeding the frenzy. I should pull out and put the money where I can vote my shares.

Practical guide to our future.......2006-11-05

But do we have the guts and discipline to pull it off?

Time for Capitalists to form a Union?.......2006-07-27

"Owners of the World, Unite" (page 67) -- what a great slogan. But this book goes beyond slogans. It is full of ideas on how the investing class could cast off the chains. If even a fraction of the reforms suggested by Mr. Bogle were implemented capitalists big and small would benefit at the bottom line and enjoy seeing managers work harder for less and act more like employees who are thankful for the job.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books