The System
Who Rigged It, How We Fix It
(Sprache: Englisch)
From the bestselling author of Saving Capitalism and The Common Good, comes an urgent analysis of how the "rigged" systems of American politics and power operate, how this status quo came to be, and how average citizens can enact...
Leider schon ausverkauft
versandkostenfrei
Buch (Kartoniert)
18.00 €
- Lastschrift, Kreditkarte, Paypal, Rechnung
- Kostenlose Rücksendung
Produktdetails
Produktinformationen zu „The System “
Klappentext zu „The System “
From the bestselling author of Saving Capitalism and The Common Good, comes an urgent analysis of how the "rigged" systems of American politics and power operate, how this status quo came to be, and how average citizens can enact change.There is a mounting sense that our political-economic system is no longer working, but what is the core problem and how do we remedy it? With the characteristic clarity and passion that have made him a central civil voice, bestselling author of Saving Capitalism and The Common Good Robert B. Reich shows how wealth and power have combined to install an oligarchy and undermine democracy. Reich exposes the myths of meritocracy, national competitiveness, corporate social responsibility, the free market, and the political center, all of which are used by those at the top to divert attention from their takeover of the system and to justify their accumulation of even more wealth and power. In demystifying the current system, Reich reveals where power actually lies and how it is wielded, and invites us to reclaim power and remake the system for all.
Lese-Probe zu „The System “
Millions of Americans, whether on the left or the right of the political spectrum, know something has gone profoundly wrong. Right now, we have a system that favors those who can pay for access and outcomes. That s how you explain an economy that is rigged to corporations and to the very wealthiest, said Beto O Rourke at the first Democratic presidential candidates debate in 2019.When you ve got a government, when you ve got an economy that does great for those with money and isn t doing great for everyone else, that is corruption, pure and simple, said Senator Elizabeth Warren at the same forum.
Big business, elite media, and major donors are lining up behind the campaign of my opponent because they know she will keep our rigged system in place, said Donald Trump in his acceptance speech at the Republican convention in 2016.
If solutions within the system are so impossible to find, then maybe we should change the system itself, said sixteen- year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg.
As New York magazine s Frank Rich put it: Everything in the country is broken. Not just Washington, which failed to prevent the financial catastrophe and has done little to protect us from the next, but also race relations, health care, education, institutional religion, law enforcement, the physical infrastructure, the news media, the bedrock virtues of civility and com- munity. Nearly everything has turned to crap, it seems, except Peak TV (for those who can afford it). He might have added the environment and our democracy.
The concentration of wealth in America has created an education system in which the super-rich can buy admission to college for their children, a political system in which they can buy Congress and the presidency, a health-care system in which they can buy care that others can t, and a justice system in which they can buy their way out of jail. Almost everyone else has been hurled into a dystopia of bureaucratic arbitrari-
... mehr
ness, corporate indifference, and legal and financial sinkholes that have become the hallmarks of modern American life.
This mammoth, systemic dysfunction is generating a great deal of heat anger, upset, frustration, and outrage. Heat in any system signals potential change. Like tectonic plates that cause earthquakes and volcanoes as they crash into each other, heat is a sign of underlying tumult. In today s America, the status quo is unsustainable. Subterranean tensions are building.
If you want to understand where the system is now and what you might do to help move it in a more humane direction, you will need to look beneath its surface and reassess many of your assumptions.
First, forget politics as you ve come to see it, as electoral contests between Democrats and Republicans. Think power. The underlying contest is between a small minority who have gained power over the system and the vast majority who have little or none.
Don t assume that a U.S. president or any other head of state unilaterally makes big decisions. Look at the people who enable and encourage those decisions, and whose interests those decisions serve.
Forget what you may have learned about the choice between the free market and government. A market cannot exist without a government to organize and enforce it. The important question is whom the market has been organized to serve.
Forget the standard economic goals of higher growth and greater efficiency. The issue is who benefits from more growth and efficiency.
Don t be dazzled by corporate social responsibility. Most of it is public relations. Corporations won t voluntarily sacrifice shareholder returns unless laws require them to do so. Even then, b
This mammoth, systemic dysfunction is generating a great deal of heat anger, upset, frustration, and outrage. Heat in any system signals potential change. Like tectonic plates that cause earthquakes and volcanoes as they crash into each other, heat is a sign of underlying tumult. In today s America, the status quo is unsustainable. Subterranean tensions are building.
If you want to understand where the system is now and what you might do to help move it in a more humane direction, you will need to look beneath its surface and reassess many of your assumptions.
First, forget politics as you ve come to see it, as electoral contests between Democrats and Republicans. Think power. The underlying contest is between a small minority who have gained power over the system and the vast majority who have little or none.
Don t assume that a U.S. president or any other head of state unilaterally makes big decisions. Look at the people who enable and encourage those decisions, and whose interests those decisions serve.
Forget what you may have learned about the choice between the free market and government. A market cannot exist without a government to organize and enforce it. The important question is whom the market has been organized to serve.
Forget the standard economic goals of higher growth and greater efficiency. The issue is who benefits from more growth and efficiency.
Don t be dazzled by corporate social responsibility. Most of it is public relations. Corporations won t voluntarily sacrifice shareholder returns unless laws require them to do so. Even then, b
... weniger
Autoren-Porträt von Robert B. Reich
Robert B. Reich
Bibliographische Angaben
- Autor: Robert B. Reich
- 2021, International, 224 Seiten, Maße: 13,2 x 20 cm, Kartoniert (TB), Englisch
- Verlag: VINTAGE
- ISBN-10: 0593082001
- ISBN-13: 9780593082003
- Erscheinungsdatum: 30.01.2021
Sprache:
Englisch
Pressezitat
"Reich has an almost unmatched ability to make insightful observations about the nation s inequities, and in The System, he observes that the question is no longer Democrat versus Republican or left versus right, but 'democracy versus oligarchy'. . . Valuable. . . the anger [it] will generate may prove politically energizing." Jeff Madrick, The New York Times Book Review "Reich does a brilliant job succinctly reminding us of the scale and scope of corporate corruption, economic inequality, and political spinelessness in America." William Hawes, New York Journal of Books
"[The System] is ultimately an examination of the nature of power. Such an examination easily dispels the demagogic narrative, pulling back the curtain of wealth and power that currently obscures those with both from careful examination of how they secured and perpetuate such privilege. . . For decades, [the market] has been serving fewer and fewer, and the only way to turn the tide back in the favor of the many is for citizens to re-engage and raise our voices." Dylan Schleicher, Porchlight
"Incisive. . . [A] much-needed, readably concise political and economic analysis." Kirkus
"[Reich's] critique of the current system is evidence-based and authoritative. This call-to-action will resonate with progressive readers." Publishers Weekly
"Robert Reich is one of our country s most insightful commentators on politics and economics. Both a diagnosis and a call to arms, The System shows how our economy and our democracy are rigged to work for the wealthy and well-connected. Change is possible - if we are willing to fight for it." Sen. Elizabeth Warren
"Robert Reich is one of the most important voices in America, fighting for an economy that works for all people and not just those at the top. Understanding what is happening in our country is critical if we want to fix it and Robert Reich is an exceptional teacher."
... mehr
Sen. Bernie Sanders
In this book Robert Reich exposes the con job of America s present manic hyper-capitalism. He exposes a system that is defined less by free markets than by elite capture. He shatters the myths about rising tides and boats and slices of pie and whatever else those hackneyed people say, propelled by the insight that while money may not be a zero-sum situation, power is. And when America s plutocrats use money to capture power to make sure that they monopolize future money, rage swells, human potential withers on the vine, and the soul of the country changes. Anand Giridharadas, author, Winners Take All
In this book Robert Reich exposes the con job of America s present manic hyper-capitalism. He exposes a system that is defined less by free markets than by elite capture. He shatters the myths about rising tides and boats and slices of pie and whatever else those hackneyed people say, propelled by the insight that while money may not be a zero-sum situation, power is. And when America s plutocrats use money to capture power to make sure that they monopolize future money, rage swells, human potential withers on the vine, and the soul of the country changes. Anand Giridharadas, author, Winners Take All
... weniger
Kommentar zu "The System"
Schreiben Sie einen Kommentar zu "The System".
Kommentar verfassen