Product Description
The most powerful case against the American central bank ever written. This work begins with a mini-treatment of money and banking theory, and then plunges right in with the real history of the Federal Reserve System. Rothbard covers the struggle between competing elites and how they converged with the Fed.
Rothbard calls for the abolition of the central bank and a restoration of the gold standard. His popular treatment incorporates the best and most up-to-date scholarship on the Fed's origins and effects.
Customer Reviews:
Simplistic and Embarassingly Ill-Informed.......2007-09-05
I cannot believe that this polemic of a book was written by an Economics Chair. It is full of misplaced invective, bad analogies, vapid arguments, circular logic and irrational assumptions.
Take Rothbard's argument that the Fed is an institutionalized counterfieter - taking over the "people's" role of issuing fiat money. In this case, he recognizes that the people would act through the government to print money - perhaps via the treasury rather than the Fed.
History has provided incredibly plentiful examples that a government, especially one trying to garner popular favor or pay off government debt, always gives in to the temptation to print more money to fund its programs and pay its debts. It is this behavior, of a hugely fiscally important central government, which leads most often to catestrophic inflation. If "the people" were able to generate specie based soley on political decisions, rather than sound fiscal ones, we'd have an economy so chaotic that nobody would invest in American dollars - which would have its own catestrophic consequences. The Fed has a vested interest in keeping the currency stable, valuable and adequately (though not over) supplied. This is exactly what Hamilton and other patriotic and wise macro-economic thinkers intended.
This is just one example of the dubious quality of Rothbard's arguments. Certainly one can make an occasionally persuasive case for more openness in the machinations of the Fed, but to blame the (politically) independent fiduciary oversight body for keeping money out of the hands of common Americans is simply wrong-headed.
Just because Rothbard had credentials as an economist, doesn't make him a clear or correct thinker.
Read this book if you desire an easy opportunity to shred a simplistic argument. Otherwise, don't waste your time.
Fed up with The Fed.......2007-07-02
There are few subjects I find more boring than economics and for that reason, certain sections of this book had me struggling to keep focus. With that said, this was a sort of economics/history book with Rothbard detailing first, the history of money and the banking system itself, and then the shadowy rise of the monolithic Federal Reserve Bank. The history aspect of the book salvaged its enjoyability factor, at least for me. My short attention span aside, this was certainly an educational read.
The creation of "The Fed" was a result of a decades long movement by a group of enormously powerful bankers and tycoons such as J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller and Paul Warburg (among others) to create a central bank in the US. They claimed that this was a safeguard for the nation's economy, but Rothbard argues convincingly that these bankers true motive was nothing more than consolidation of power over the nation's wealth. Besides that, Rothbard argues that not only is the Fed not a safeguard for the economy, but it is actually the CAUSE of much of our economy's woes. He cites such practices as fractional reserve banking (which is essentially legal counterfeiting) and argues how this is responsible for massive inflation and erratic "boom and bust" cycles. He calls for the dissolution of the Fed and a return to the gold standard. With my aforementioned ignorance of economics, I cannot judge the accuracy of Rothbard's arguments, but I can say that this is a well-written and well-argued Case Against the Fed. Four stars.
Preposterous!.......2007-04-19
The underlying theme in this pamphlet by Murray Rothbard of the Australian School of Economics, is that the Federal Resereve should be abolished and we should return to a gold standard.
Clearly this so-called economist has overlooked two very important things...
1. Without the Federal Reserve, how would Citi et al and JP Morgan et al make any money?
2. What would stop the so called "free market" from being exploited by greedy miners who would inflate the production & supply of gold so quickly that we would experience hyperinflation and a complete breakdown of the currency?
Verdict: Poorly thought out arguments Mr Rothbard.
One of the most amazing books I've ever read.......2007-03-03
I bought this book after listening to two friends arguing about the Federal Reserve and, having no economics background at all, realizing that I didn't understand anything they were talking about. For the most part, it is clearly explained in a way an economics lay-person such as my self can follow. I wish this book had been recommended to me as part of my high school economics class, in fact, had more people read this book, this nation would not be in the dire situation it is facing.
The departure of law.......2007-01-04
This book very logically laid out the case for how our law hs been corrupted by the bankers use of reserve ratios and ponzi schemes. A very good book and I highly recommend it. One does not know chaos until there is bank run and if the banking industry operated with honesty and integrity instead of principles based on lying and theft then there would not be bank runs.
Book Description
Allan H. Meltzer's monumental history of the Federal Reserve System tells the story of one of America's most influential but least understood public institutions. This first volume covers the period from the Federal Reserve's founding in 1913 through the Treasury-Federal Reserve Accord of 1951, which marked the beginning of a larger and greatly changed institution.
To understand why the Federal Reserve acted as it did at key points in its history, Meltzer draws on meeting minutes, correspondence, and other internal documents (many made public only during the 1970s) to trace the reasoning behind its policy decisions. He explains, for instance, why the Federal Reserve remained passive throughout most of the economic decline that led to the Great Depression, and how the Board's actions helped to produce the deep recession of 1937 and 1938. He also highlights the impact on the institution of individuals such as Benjamin Strong, governor of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in the 1920s, who played a key role in the adoption of a more active monetary policy by the Federal Reserve. Meltzer also examines the influence the Federal Reserve has had on international affairs, from attempts to build a new international financial system in the 1920s to the Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944 that established the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and the failure of the London Economic Conference of 1933.
Written by one of the world's leading economists, this magisterial biography of the Federal Reserve and the people who helped shape it will interest economists, central bankers, historians, political scientists, policymakers, and anyone seeking a deep understanding of the institution that controls America's purse strings.
"It was 'an unprecedented orgy of extravagance, a mania for speculation, overextended business in nearly all lines and in every section of the country.' An Alan Greenspan rumination about the irrational exuberance of the late 1990s? Try the 1920 annual report of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve. . . . To understand why the Fed acted as it did—at these critical moments and many others—would require years of study, poring over letters, the minutes of meetings and internal Fed documents. Such a task would naturally deter most scholars of economic history but not, thank goodness, Allan Meltzer."—Wall Street Journal
"A seminal work that anyone interested in the inner workings of the U. S. central bank should read. A work that scholars will mine for years to come."—John M. Berry, Washington Post
"An exceptionally clear story about why, as the ideas that actually informed policy evolved, things sometimes went well and sometimes went badly. . . . One can only hope that we do not have to wait too long for the second installment."—David Laidler, Journal of Economic Literature
"A thorough narrative history of a high order. Meltzer's analysis is persuasive and acute. His work will stand for a generation as the benchmark history of the world's most powerful economic institution. It is an impressive, even awe-inspiring achievement."—Sir Howard Davies, Times Higher Education Supplement
Customer Reviews:
Not for the layman.......2003-12-12
This much heralded account of the Federal Reserve is justly lauded in academic circles because Meltzer brings forth many Fed documents which have long been buried away and unavailable to scholars. He is able to pursue step-by-step Fed actions and relate what happened in all those many meetings behind closed doors. Through the mass of information he has uncovered and his own in-depth knowledge of monetary policy and the Fed, he is able to bring new facts to light and correct previous interpretations that are more often than not those of Friedman and Schwartz's A Monetary History of the United States.
The weaknesses of Meltzer's book stem from his massive archive of information and the strength of his predecessors. The sheer volume of information he is trying to convey prompts the narrative to drift and the reader sometimes loses the point. And, as a good academic historian, he is engaged in a dialogue with other historians of the Fed and monetary policy that can push the layman to the sidelines. Meltzer's history assumes the reader has a rather advanced knowledge of economics and finance such as an understanding of the real bills doctrine and the operation of an international gold standard. Also, the charts and tables are often not very helpful in understanding the text or at least could have been presented in a better manner.
Overall, Meltzer does not produce any stunning revelations but a great many correctives to previous accounts and much added detail. The novice to the history of US monetary policy would do better to read Richard Timberlake's book (though taken with a grain of salt because of its conservative leanings) or the classic work by Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz.
Amazon.com
Bob Woodward called his biography of Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan Maestro for two reasons. First, Greenspan is a musician. He started out as a Julliard-trained jazz sax man. "He wasn't a good improviser," Woodward reports. And while the other guys got stoned all night, Greenspan "read economics and business books and eventually became the band's bookkeeper." He also cultivated powerful pals, like Ayn Rand, whose coterie dubbed the dour young man "The Undertaker."
More profoundly, Greenspan is a maestro, a conductor, exquisitely attuned to every instrument in the political and economic orchestra. He rules by consensus, but with a firm hand and notoriously inscrutable words. Marvelously, Woodward relates that Greenspan had to propose twice to his wife, the violinist-turned-TV news star Andrea Mitchell, before she understood: "His verbal obscurity and caution were so ingrained that Mitchell didn't even know that he had asked her to marry him." Woodward gives us the inside story of what Greenspan really thinks and how he outmaneuvered the most ruthless politicians on earth in some of the hairiest times imaginable, from the 1987 stock market crash to the 1994-95 Mexican crisis to the stomach-churning turn of the century. It turns out that for all his awesome knowledge of monetary minutiae, the Fed chief literally relies on "a pain in the pit of my stomach" to make decisions. "At times, he found his body sensed danger before his head," writes Woodward. The Fed chief also adapts Einstein's technique to economics, hunting for discrepancies as keys to deeper theories. Einstein made breakthroughs out of bent light; Greenspan deduced productivity gains that government statisticians had overlooked for years. (The gains appeared when Greenspan made the statisticians calculate productivity by business sector, the way it's done in the real world.)
Woodward's prose is cool and rational, not exuberant. But if you're into economics and politics, you'll find a rich gossip trove here. Who knew Reagan had a draft of a presidential order to shut down Wall Street trading at hand in 1987? Scary! Reading Maestro is better than sitting with Greenspan in his famous tub as he charts your future--it's like being right there inside his head. --Tim Appelo
Book Description
Perhaps the last Washington secret is how the Federal Reserve and its enigmatic chairman, Alan Greenspan, operate. In Maestro, Bob Woodward uses his proven interviewing and research techniques to take you inside the Fed and Greenspan's thinking. Woodward presents the Greenspan years as a gripping narrative, a remarkable portrait of a man who has become the symbol of American economic preeminence.
Download Description
Woodward's bestselling "The Agenda" presented a thrilling, intimate portrait of the making of economic policy during President Clinton's first year in office. The author now returns to the economic arena to examine why and how the present boom came to be.
Customer Reviews:
"The nurturing of capital and property ownership.".......2007-09-10
While there are some interesting tidbits throughout, ie Alan Greenspans association with Ayn Rand, the familiar names of the politically entrenched and the precarious state our nations economic machinations, this book was a bit boring. What I did find fascinating was the level of Ivy League ambition in our nations capital and Greenspans savvy manuevering therein.
Maestro Review .......2007-08-19
Among collegiate literature which I have been exposed to, I have found Bob Woodward's Maestro to be one of the most informative and educational. With this simple and easy to understand narrative, I have been taken inside the doors of the Federal Reserve, and have been given a picture of how the FOMC truly operates. I feel more equipped to discuss and express opinion towards the operations of the Fed. Upon the completion of this book, I sat back with a sense of gratification, in my newly acquired, practical understanding of the U.S. economy. Woodward was able to portray Monetary Policy in a sense that really applied to my level of thinking.
With an inside look at the decisions of Alan Greenspan and his role as chairman of the Federal Reserve, I was stuck with a sense of amazement watching this man operate mathematically and politically, still maintaining a sense of pure awareness and concern for the long-term affects of his resolutions. I would definitely recommend this book to any reader in search of a practical and realistic understanding of the economic engine which drives the U.S.
I Can't Believe I LOVED a Book on Greenspan!.......2007-04-10
I read this book wanting to be better informed about how The Fed and Greenspan operate, and wound up being nicely informed and entertained. Understanding how banks, the White House and political appointments co-exist in the field of economics, I never thought I would ever use the phrase "hard-to-put-down" in connection with an economics/banking book but this one really did it for me. It is a genuine page turner and definitely Woodward's most underrated and under-discussed books. (No caller mentioned this work during his 3-hour C-Span interview a few months back.) Get your hands on a copy of this book and prepare for an interesting and enjoyable ride. My one complaint: I wish it were longer. Although this book answered all my "Fed" questions, I wished its time track would continue to the present, or perhaps delve a little deeper into the past. But this minor complaint notwithstanding, the book was an excellent and engaging read.
Maestro.......2006-12-02
First, a brief note about what others have stated about the author and his relationship with the "establishment." Bob Woodward has always gotten close to the sources and heart of the story. It seems Woodward is inside and part of the system much moreso than than simply observing and reporting about it from the outside. In "Maestro," perhaps such conjecture is irrelevant. (Some biographers are more sympathetic to the subject.) If one is on the inside he/she has greater access to corroborated information and gets to know what's really going on behind the scenes.
The downside is that a person can also develop relationships with the people they write about (e.g. become friends, or admiring acquaintances). Insider or not, Woodward is and has been....a part of the establishment. But this isn't necessarily a reason to take anything away from him in this book. Woodward provides lots of details into Greenspan, the FOMC, and daily working of the Fed, as well as the politics and motivations behind individual and institutional actions.
This bio starts with brief glimpses into Greenspan's parents, his upbringing, and school days. It then moves to his young adulthood and formative years. The young Greenspan was 26 when he met philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand. He held many discussions with her and became a part of her inner circle. Then, as now, Greenspan believes in the philosophy of "Logical Positivism," which asserts that "nothing could be known rationally with total certainty."
"Maestro" spends a lot of time on the workings, structure, and politics of the Fed. As for the structure of the Federal Reserve Board, the President appoints board members to the Fed and the Senate confirms them, to a term of 14 years. These lengthy terms are designed to position the board members above politics. The appointments however, are influential and political. The Secretary of Treasury traditionally acts as a liaison between the administration and board members.
The FOMC is the Federal Open Market Committee, (then) chaired by By Greenspan. The FOMC has 12 voting members, seven of which which, are Fed Governors. 5 of are presidents (out of a total of twelve) of the Federal Reserve district banks in the U.S. The FOMC meets every six weeks to discuss and set the the short-term funds rate.
This book also notes how Greenspan's statements are interpreted by the media and the markets that react to them.
Greenspan's famous and carefully crafted ambiguous statements are misinterpreted, oversimplified, and over-reacted to constantly by the 'talking heads' and knee-jerk profit takers and short-termers.
It's become so common in recent years to listen to talking heads Analyze phrases, words, and sentences given by Greenspan (and now Bernanke) when they present reports and testimony. Below is one example of what commonly happens after the Fed Chairman utters his alphabet soup of ambiguity, as in this 1995 comment from Allen Greenspan:
"I don't see any problem that really disturb me" followed by, "As a consequence of the sluggish economic outlook, the probabilities, as some of my colleagues have indicated, of a recession have edged up, as indeed one would expect." This statement was made in 1995 at an international banking conference in Seattle .
Here are two major headlines responses to this statement:
"Greenspan Sees Chance of Recession" --The New York Times.
"Recession Is Unlikely, Greenspan Concludes" --The Washington Post.
Greenspan refers to these responses by the media and talking heads as "Constructive Ambiguity" (p. 147).
The Chairman of the Federal Reserve and board is considered to be the most important position in the governance and overseeing of the U.S. economy. This book makes a mundane topic and institution interesting.
One thing I liked about Greenspan. He believed in an "institutional rule of survival" in Washington: bring the bad news yourself. Look people in the eye, lay out the facts, and be direct (p. 53).
Some people think there is an element of fawning in this biography. Sometimes there seems to be some subtle praise. Aside from this, the media's categorization of Greenspan as a 'rock star' is oversimplified. It seems Woodward liked Greenspan's tenure. A lot of people did.
How to feel your way to the correct interest rate.......2006-05-03
Woodward will give you a feel for how Greenspan feels (this feeling is developed from massive amounts of economic dated and dicussions with other experts) his way along to a decision on interest rates. There is no clear-cut method for getting the interest rates to just the right level. Now that Greenspan is gone and left us with a boom, we have to be concerned that Ben Bernanke will also develop just the right feel. And probably more importantly--may he be just as lucky as Alan Greenspan.
Average customer rating:
- A must read for anybody interested in IB
- Fantastic Story about Lazard
- Good book that details the the "Old Boys" Network
- You should buy this book if:
- Great read with facinating mix of famous characters
|
Financier: The Biography of André Meyer: A Story of Money, Power, and the Reshaping of American Business
Cary Reich
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 History
| Subjects
| Books
| Africa
| Americas
| Ancient
| Arctic & Antarctica
| Asia
| Audiobooks
| Australia & Oceania
| Europe
| Gay & Lesbian
| Historical Study
| Large Print
| Middle East
| Military
| Military Science
| Russia
| United States
| World
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Business
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| Historical
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Finance
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
| Banks & Banking
| Corporate Finance
| Foreign Exchange
| Inflation
| Interest
General
| Accounting
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Accounting
| Accounting & Finance
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Finance
| Accounting & Finance
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Amazon Upgrade
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Biographies & Memoirs
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Business & Investing
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
History
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Professional & Technical
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Biographies & Memoirs
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Business & Investing
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co.
-
Big Deal: Mergers and Acquisitions in the Digital Age
-
Greed and Glory on Wall Street: The Fall of the House of Lehman
-
The Running of the Bulls : Inside the Cutthroat Race from Wharton to Wall Street
-
Goldman Sachs : The Culture of Success
ASIN: 0471247413 |
Book Description
"A first-rate biography of an extraordinary man." --Andrew Tobias.
David Rockefeller once deemed André Meyer "the most creative financial genius of our time in the investment banking world." André Meyer was also known as "The Picasso of Banking" and "The Incomparable Investor," but probably his most notable achievement was his ability to completely and single-handedly revitalize American business after World War II. Cary Reich presents an illuminating portrait of this ferociously energetic, charming, and ruthless businessman who was a trusted advisor of the Kennedys and an intimate of William Paley and Katherine Graham. Reich goes into detail about Meyer's immigration from Nazi-occupied France, his prowess on the Monopoly board of business, and some of Meyer's lasting business legacies--now household names--including Avis and Holiday Inn.
* Includes a new foreword by Cary Reich.
Cary Reich (New York, New York) is the former executive editor of Institutional Investor. His most recent book, The Life of Nelson A. Rockefeller, was a finalist for the National Book Award. Mr. Reich is the recipient of numerous journalism awards, including the Overseas Press Award and the John Hancock Award for Excellence in Business and Financial Journalism.
Customer Reviews:
A must read for anybody interested in IB.......2007-07-25
Andre Meyer is the ephytome of the investment banker, like J.P. Morgan or Sidney Weinberg before and Felix Rohatyn around the same time, Andre Meyer embodied what many aspiring bankers use to idealize when picking that career. He was the master of Relational Banking, which is now reemerging as the way to go for top tier brokerage and banking houses. Although, not a husband or father role model the details about his personal life are very interesting to read too.
Fantastic Story about Lazard.......2006-03-14
This book should be required reading for all employees of Lazard. As an employee I found this book very informative and useful in understanding my firm culture and history. The book is well written, and full of interesting trivia about Lazard and Andre Meyer.
Good book that details the the "Old Boys" Network.......2004-07-02
Overall this book provided great historical details into the mind of one of Investment Bankings greatest personalities. Andre Meyer's networking skills were 90% responsible for his success with the remaining 10% being attributable to his sheer tenacity.
The book does drag in some spots, but the author definitely did his homework.
You should buy this book if:.......1999-08-30
1) If you've ever thought about going into the investment banking/ Venture Capital business 2) If you enjoy history - of any type 3) If you enjoy well-written books that are more than a dry summation of the "agreed upon" facts 4) if you want a book that is more interesting and has more plots and schemes than any detective/spy thriller
Great read with facinating mix of famous characters.......1999-03-18
A great read with a facinating mix of famous characters ranging from fiancial world to the political world from the 1940s to the 1970s. The book offers great gossip about New York society as well as the wheeling and dealings of the M&A world. Mr. Meyer is portrayed as a strong, determined and respected man who was certainly not saint but the author offers a truthful perspective. The book is a easy read, and focuses on Meyer's business and personal relationships rather than heavy finacial jargon. It's a great read, I couldn't put it down.
Book Description
Born into one of the wealthiest families in America—he was the youngest son of Standard Oil scion John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and the celebrated patron of modern art Abby Aldrich Rockefeller—David Rockefeller has carried his birthright into a distinguished life of his own. His dealings with world leaders from Zhou Enlai and Mikhail Gorbachev to Anwar Sadat and Ariel Sharon, his service to every American president since Eisenhower, his remarkable world travels and personal dedication to his home city of New York—here, the first time a Rockefeller has told his own story, is an account of a truly rich life.
Customer Reviews:
Rockefeller is a servant of Evil.......2007-10-14
What do you think of a person who makes a statement like this, as Rockefeller did at the Bilderberg/Trilateral meeting in 1991 in Baden Baden, Germany, with Bill Clinton in attendance:
"We are grateful to the Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years. It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is now more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries."
I agree with Thomas Jefferson, who believed that if the People have the facts, we will make the right decisions. How encouraging that he acknowledges he couldn't not have advanced his agenda for global domination by bankers if the public's eye was on them- he thanks the MSM for their complicity in subverting the Constitution and the sovereignty of nations. He needs darkness to accomplish these things; he's more a vampire or a cockroach than a human being. The world will advance light years when a critical mass of awareness is reached and we lock up the bankers of the world along with the mass murderers, serial killers, child molesters and terrorists, and study them so we have the understanding needed to guard against their plotting.
The Federal Reserve Banks are privately owned; your income taxes go to pay the interest on a national debt that need not exist; the Constitution authorizes Congress to coin money, and in 1913 they treasonously outsourced it to the Federal Reserve. Wilson signed the bill and later regretted it.
Rockefeller is scum, don't buy this book
Excellent Biography.......2007-04-13
The book tells of a life in one of America's prominent families. It's very interesting to know how one handles wealth, power and influence in the world's most powerful nation. I have learned so much. So will you out there. Give it a read. It's one of the best biographies on the shelf.
American History and The Art of Philanthropy.......2007-04-04
This book is a wonderful view of how wealth can work to benefit society and the role of philanthropy in American society and the world at large.
A solid view of the world according to a special man, however priveledged, who had the right philosophy and work ethic in an evolving and historical time. Read this to help yourself actualize your own potential and change the way (e.g. lighten your path), perhaps, how you view the role of government (public servants), private business (corporations) and philanthropy. A wonderful contribution to American literature.
"The henhouse is safe" assures the Fox.......2007-03-18
Mr Rockefeller writes about the Bilderbergs (p. 410), at the "disppointment" of the "conspiracy-mongers" is just an "intensely interesting annual discussion group." Really? Then how come I'm never invited? What's all the secrecy about?
To give you an idea of why all the secrecy, here's an excerpt from a 1991 issue of the Hilaire duBerrier Report (also reported elsewhere in the French press):
"[Rockefeller] told his listeners: 'We are grateful to the Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine, and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years....It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subject to the bright lights of publicity during these years....The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers ... is surely preferable to the national autodetermination practiced in the past centuries.'"
In "Tragedy and Hope" written By Bill Clinton's professor at Georgetown, Carroll Quigley (p. 950) writes:
"There does exist, and has existed for a generation, an international Anglophile network which operates, to some extent, in the way the radical Right believes the Communists act. In fact, this network, which we may identify as the Round Table Group has no aversion to cooperating with the Communists, of any other groups, and frequently does so. I know of the operations of this network because I have studied it for twenty years and was permitted for two years, in the early 1960's, to examine its papers and secret records. I have no aversion to it...but in general my chief difference of opinion is that it wishes to remain unknown, and I believe its role in history is significant enough to be known."
Now why would the "Round Table Group" want to cooperate with the communists? James Kunen, in his "Strawberry Statement: Notes of a College Revolutionary," gives one reason:
"In the evening, I went up to the U. to check out a strategy meeting. A kid was giving a report on the SDS [Students for a Democratic Society] convention. He said that ... at the convention, men from Business International Round Tables, the meeting sponsored by Business International for their client groups and heads of government, tried to buy up a few radicals. These men are the world's leading industrialists and they convene to decide how our lives are going to go. These are the guys who wrote the Alliance for Progress. They are the left wing of the ruling class. They offered to finance our demonstrations in Chicago. We were also offered ESSO (Rockefeller) money. They want us to make a lot of radical commotion so they can look more in the center as they move to the left."
Is this not the reason why most people think George Bush is conservative? Because the liberal hates Bush?
Mr. Rockefeller on p. 405 claims that the "conspiracy theorists" fail to see the "benefit of our international role over the past half century." And what benefits are these? Quigley gives the answer in his book:
"The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching plan, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole."
Now how'd those silly kook populists miss to see the benefit in having a worldwide system of financial control vested in a few plutocrats?
a different perspective........2006-04-07
if you've heard the stories about the robber barrons - well, this rockefeller tries to set the story straight. unfortunately, i don't think he completely gets it about economics and his grandfather's role -- but he does have something to offer and it is an inside look at one of the most influential and wealthy families in america, past or present. worth a look.
Product Description
IRS Tax Collection Procedures presents valuable insights and practical, hands-on guidance in one comprehensive volume for all practitioners who represent clients before the Collections Division of the IRS.
(Third Edition) reflects the sweeping changes made by implementation of many IRS restructuring efforts along with pivotal changes to innocent spouse protections, offer-in-compromise, and many other IRS initiatives and programs. The book synthesizes the discussions of changes in collection procedures created by major legislation over the past decade.
The all-new IRS Tax Collection Procedures (Third Edition) by Robert Schriebman, provides the insights of one of today's most influencial and experienced IRS practitioners. Schriebman participated directly with Senate staff to draft the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act and testified twice before Congress on IRS Reform.
IRS Tax Collection Procedures is comprised of more than 20 chapters and covers major IRS topical areas:
Collection process
Client Representation
Dealing with IRS Representatives
Determining a Taxpayer's Tax Liability
Negotiating Payment Agreements
Enforced Collection
Appeal Rights
Materials are presented in a logical, easy-to-use and easy-to-access sequence. Early chapters focus on building relationships with clients and the IRS, and determining how much is owed and penalties. Various types of relief are examined in detail. Middle chapters look at payment arrangements and enforced collection issues that involve summons, tax liens, levy, seizure and sales of a taxpayer's property. The concluding chapters of the book covers appeal rights and procedures in detail.
Book Description
Originally written for Harper's Weekly and first published in book form in 1914, these essays provide an incisive analysis of the activities of the financial oligarchy, and its central element, the investment banker as revealed in the testimony and findings of the Pujo Committee. "Within the voluminous reform literature ... Brandeis' attack on the U.S financial structure ... stands out as among the most important." The Reprint Bulletin
Average customer rating:
- From Business History Review
- Modern-day Medici
- From Aufbau
- From Opera News
- FROM THE PUBLISHER
|
Otto Kahn: Art, Money, and Modern Time
Theresa M. Collins
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Historical
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| Historical
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Business
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Banks & Banking
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Philanthropy & Charity
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0807826960
Release Date: 2001-12-06 |
Book Description
In the early decades of the twentieth century, almost everyone in modern theater, literature, or film knew of Otto Kahn (1867-1934), and those who read the financial press or followed the news from Wall Street could scarcely have missed his name. A partner at one of America's premier private banks, he played a leading role in reorganizing the U.S. railroad system and supporting the Allied war effort in World War I. The German-Jewish Kahn was also perhaps the most influential patron of the arts the nation has ever seen: he helped finance the Metropolitan Opera, brought the Ballets Russes to America, and bankrolled such promising young talent as poet Hart Crane, the Provincetown Players, and the editors of the Little Review.
This book is the full-scale biography Kahn has long deserved. Theresa Collins chronicles Kahn's life and times and reveals his singular place at the intersection of capitalism and modernity. Drawing on research in private correspondence, congressional testimony, and other sources, she paints a fascinating portrait of the figure whose seemingly incongruous identities as benefactor and banker inspired the New York Times to dub him the "Man of Velvet and Steel."
Customer Reviews:
From Business History Review.......2003-07-21
"a genuinely transnational biography and a model for those who wish to engage in that rapidly growing field of historical scholarship."(Michael Kammen, Cornell University)
Modern-day Medici.......2003-07-09
In his day, J.P. Morgan was the best-known head of an American financial house. But Otto Kahn was a close second. Today, Morgan enjoys immortality in the popular imagination, while Kahn is all but forgotten. Thankfully Theresa Collins ... has produced a biography of Kahn that illuminates his importance as a man who successfully combined modern business sensibilities with art patronage. (Review by Ian Drake, Philanthropy Magazine, May/June 2003)
From Aufbau.......2003-03-15
"A considered and nuanced account of [the] early twentieth century American Medici. . . . Collins' accomplished biographical study profiles from the cinematic deftness with which she crosscuts facets of Kahn's life, an altogether appropriate technique in limning an existence so enamored of and beholden to modernity. Her use of the language of theater and film in interpretive contexts seamlessly brings his many worlds into a unified vision."--Aufbau
From Opera News.......2003-03-15
"Collins shows how [Kahn] gave away money nearly as quickly as he earned it, his contributions to music, literature, theater, dance, painting and design establishing New York City as an international cultural mecca. . . . Essential details are expertly negotiated, and thornier questions on the reality of latent anti-Semitism among the heirs of the Gilded Age are explored in depth. . . . As Collins aptly demonstrates, this 'self-made aristocrat' mastered the East without losing his soul, and in the process, he ennobled the arts he loved."--Opera News
FROM THE PUBLISHER.......2002-07-06
In the early decades of the twentieth century, almost everyone in modern theater, literature, or film knew of Otto Kahn (1867-1934), and those who read the financial press or followed the news from Wall Street could scarcely have missed his name. A partner at one of America's premier private banks, he played a leading role in reorganizing the U.S. railroad system and supporting the Allied war effort in World War I. The German-Jewish Kahn was also perhaps the most influential patron of the arts the nation has ever seen: he helped finance the Metropolitan Opera, brought the Ballets Russes to America, and bankrolled such promising young talent as poet Hart Crane, the Provincetown Players, and the editors of the Little Review.
This book is the full-scale biography Kahn has long deserved. Theresa Collins chronicles Kahn's life and times and reveals his singular place at the intersection of capitalism and modernity. Drawing on research in private correspondence, congressional testimony, and other sources, she paints a fascinating portrait of the figure whose seemingly incongruous identities as benefactor and banker inspired the New York Times to dub him the "Man of Steel and Velvet."
"This rich and fascinating biography tells the remarkable story of a remarkable man who, combining the power of an international financier with the finesse of a patron of the arts, helped make New York City a world cultural capital."--Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
"Theresa Collins's Otto Kahn is a superb piece of biography and a major work of historical reclamation. This is history written in the grand manner--sweeping in scope, majestic in style. And it restores to us in all his grandeur and cultural consequence a remarkable figure from our past."--Martin Duberman, City University of New York
"This first full-length biography of Otto Kahn offers a compelling portrait of a major figure in the history of American finance and culture. The keen eye and vivid prose of Theresa Collins illuminate the many facets of this fascinating character and his world."--Maury Klein, University of Rhode Island
Average customer rating:
- Discriminating Risk Deserves a Closer Look
|
Discriminating Risk: The U.S. Mortgage Lending Industry in the Twentieth Century
Guy Stuart
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Company Profiles
| Biography & History
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Public Finance
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Banks & Banking
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Mortgages
| Real Estate
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Discrimination & Racism
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Urban Planning & Development
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Illinois
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| 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
ASIN: 0801440661 |
Book Description
The U.S. home mortgage industry first formalized risk criteria in the 1920s and 1930s to determine which applicants should receive funds. Over the past eighty years, these formulae have become more sophisticated. Guy Stuart demonstrates that the very concepts on which lenders base their decisions reflect a set of social and political values about "who deserves what." Stuart examines the fine line between licit choice and illicit discrimination, arguing that lenders, while eradicating blatantly discriminatory practices, have ignored the racial and economic-class biases that remain encoded in their decision processes. He explains why African Americans and Latinos continue to be at a disadvantage in gaining access to loans: discrimination, he finds, results from the interaction between the way lenders make decisions and the way they shape the social structure of the mortgage and housing markets.
Mortgage lenders, Stuart contends, are embedded in and shape a social context that can best be understood in terms of rules, networks, and the production of space. Stuart's history of lenders' risk criteria reveals that they were synthesized from rules of thumb, cultural norms, and untested theories. In addition, his interviews with real estate and lending professionals in the Chicago housing market show us how the criteria are implemented today. Drawing on census and Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data for quantitative support, Stuart concludes with concrete policy proposals that take into account the social structure in which lenders make decisions.
Customer Reviews:
Discriminating Risk Deserves a Closer Look.......2004-07-02
Guy Stuart has presented in a very cogent and readable way some of the reasons why discrimination and segregation persist in U.S. housing markets and it may not be for the reasons most assume. Stuart illustrates how conceptions of "value", particularly in the process of property appraisals, risk estimation in underwriting, and lender-broker-realtor networks characterized by racial homogeneity all contribute to disparities in lending to minorities, particularly African Americans. Stuart illustrates how all of the participants in the process play a role, though none may be directly intending to encourage the negative consequences.
To break the cycle, Stuart correctly suggests that we need to hold GSEs, lenders, regulators, appraisers, and others responsible for correcting disparite EFFECTS, with or without assigning intent to discriminate to any specific actor or group. Whether or not such accountability can or will occur will depend on whether there is political will and a solid understanding of the issues. At least on the latter point, the public is well-served by this book.
The book is well-written in clear and direct prose. Stuart succeeds in avoiding confusing and jargon-laden descriptions. Given the subject matter, this is a real victory for the reader. The book also provides a very useful history of the mortgage lending industry and is recommended for students and activist alike trying to get their heads around a confusing and poorly understood field that has profound impacts on the persistence of racial segregation in the U.S.
Average customer rating:
|
U.S. Bank Deregulation in Historical Perspective
Charles W. Calomiris
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Economic History
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Banks & Banking
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Finance
| Accounting & Finance
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Business & Investing
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0521583624 |
Book Description
This book shows how deregulation is transforming the size, structure, and geographic range of U.S. banks, the scope of banking services, and the nature of bank-customer relationships. Over the past two decades the characteristics that had made American banks different from other banks throughout the world--a fragmented geographical structure of the industry, which restricted the scale of banks and their ability to compete with one another, and strict limits on the kinds of products and services commercial banks could offer--virtually have been eliminated. Understanding the origins and persistence of the unique banking regulations that defined U.S. banking for over a century lends an important perspective on the economic and political causes and consequences of the current process of deregulation.
Books:
- The Complete Greek Tragedies: Sophocles I: Oedipus The King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone
- The Cortisol Connection Diet: The Breakthrough Program to Control Stress and Lose Weight
- The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book
- The Essays of Warren Buffett : Lessons for Corporate America
- The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, Second Edition
- The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent
- The Gaming Industry: Introduction and Perspectives
- The Gashouse Gang: How Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher, Branch Rickey, Pepper Martin, and Their Colorful, Come-from-Behind Ball Club Won the World Series--and America's Heart--During the Great Depression
- The Governance Game: What Every Board Member & Corporate Director Should Know About What Went Wrong in Corporate America & What New Responsibilities They Are Faced With
- The Hidden Face of Eve: Women in the Arab World
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Global Sustainability: Bending the Curve
- Unchecked and Unbalanced: Presidential Power in a Time of Terror
- Mergers & Acquisitions: Managing the Transaction
- Networks and Devices Using Planar Transmissions Lines
- The Economic Way of Thinking
- This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future
- The Hanged Man: The Life and Death of Ronald Ryan
- CPA Ready Comprehensive CPA Exam Review - 36th Edition 2007-2008: Financial Accounting & Reporti
- Pragmatic Imagination: A History of the Wharton School,F 1881-1981
- Plant Biotechnology and Developmentseries: Current Topics in Plant Molecular Biology
What Has Government Done to Our Money? Case for the 100 Percent Gold Dollar
A History of Money and Banking in the United States: The Colonial Era to World War II
Secrets of the Temple: How the Federal Reserve Runs the Country
How The World Really Works
America's Great Depression
