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America: What Went Wrong? [Paperback]

Donald L. Barlett , James B. Steele
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 1, 1992
Asking the question, "what went wrong," two Pulitzer Prize-winning authors present a sweeping critique of the last two decades of American history, concluding that short-sighted greed in business and government has undermined the American dream. Original.

Frequently Bought Together

America: What Went Wrong? + The Betrayal of the American Dream + Critical Condition: How Health Care in America Became Big Business--and Bad Medicine
Price for all three: $46.05

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 252 pages
  • Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; Original edition (January 1, 1992)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0836270010
  • ISBN-13: 978-0836270013
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
54 of 61 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Still highly relevant September 8, 2000
Format:Paperback
This is a book that really helps ordinary Americans understand what is happening to the economy. Though somewhat dated by being written before our so-called period of prosperity, the trends emphasized in the book not only continue, but in some instances have accelerated. In that important sense, B's & S's work remains as topical today as it was yesterday. It's also an excellent companion to Kevin Phillip's more recent *Politics of the Rich and Poor*, though the former aims at a more popular audience. Many of the statistical comparisons of Phillip's book were originated here: the junk bond plunder of healthy companies, the massive export of high-wage jobs, the decline of pension funds and health care, et.al. And a sorry, sorry tale it is.

Several pressing topics not included in Phillip's book are discussed here. "Net operating loss" is perhaps the most egregious method of transferring wealth upward. This highly biased tax allowance allows struggling companies to write off last year's net operating loss on this year's tax bill, forcing taxpayers to pay for operating losses incurred by private sector firms. Similarly, Chapter 11 bankruptcies allow indigent firms to continue operating with present management but immune from creditors. The net effect of both measures is to lessen risk and encourage reckless speculation, thereby undermining long-term market health. Included in the book are other degenerate measures deriving largely from the 1980's: Deduction of interest from corporate borrowing, Tax-free government bonds (deriving from early 1900's), Untaxed stock transactions, et.al. The overall result is to transfer the tax burden from wealthy categories to middle-cass brackets....

Though much the same ground has now been trod in other books, the story can stand multiple retellings, since middle-class decline is perhaps the most important domestic trend of our time. What distinguishes this book's original telling are the vivid personal profiles amidst the welter of relevant statistics. These cameos have the crucial effect of reminding the reader that behind the abstractions are real people whose lives are shaped by tax legislation, wealth transfers, and job export. The result is a little like Studs Turkel meets the tax collector.

Recommended for those interested in the social contours of the future. Read more ›

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27 of 33 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars EYE OPENER January 22, 2004
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book was bought as one of the text books I needed for my college civics class. Of all the text books I have bought, this is the only one that I read from cover to cover. This book will make you angry with what is allowed to happen to the average American. Most of the incidents that are talked about are not general public knowledge. I don't feel that it is a fatalistic book as other reviewers have indicated. It does bring out some disturbing issues that should not have happened or allowed to happen.
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Oh One Star Reviewers, Where Are You Now...? January 18, 2011
Format:Paperback
Interesting that there are no one star reviews after the economic downturn of 2008--present day. We see only what we want to see, t'would seem. Thus, when Bartlett and Steele's "doomsday" arguments bore fruit in 2008, we ought to note that they were on to something. I read this book when it was first published as a serial piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer, and then later in the book form. I've been citing their work for just as long.

Can't wait to see Bartlett and Steele's latest work: What Went Wrong: The Betrayal of the American Dream. They're working with the Investigative Reporting Workshop of the American University School of Communications. Bartlett and Steele are true examples of what used to sell papers--smart, in-depth reporting that never flinched.
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20 of 27 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars What really went wrong? January 2, 1999
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book is really an eye opener. It cuts through all the bull that we normally get in the press or from politicians. It suddenly puts everything in focus and you realize why things are the way they are now, especially if you were around in the 50's as a pre-baby boomer or a baby-boomer. I think it's even more important that people born in the 70's read it so they can get a grasp on where this country is headed. Intelligent, clear, well documented writing, it should be included in every school curriculum as required reading.
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11 of 16 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Made sense of the confusing business of "Reganomics" December 7, 1998
Format:Paperback
I recall, when Regan's "simplified" 3-tier federal income tax code took effect, conducting a simple experiment: I calculated the tax on several incomes, from poverty level to over $200000, both before and after the change. Although the gross tax dropped, the percentage paid by the lower incomes increased, while the upper decreased. This, I remember thinking, does not look good.

Barlet and Steele's book gave substance to my suspicion, and helped to form my current understanding of US government, which is, I believe, increasingly under the sway of a wealthy elite.

Particularly interesting were the parallel the book drew between the early '1920s and the '80s.

While the book does well in illuminating the problems faced by our republic, it does less well in suggesting a cure, though, in its defense, this is a less easy task.

I recommend this book to every serious, thinking person I meet.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read this. February 28, 2013
By D.H.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great book filled with information everyone should be aware of to be informed of the workings of the government behind the scenes
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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, Needs Updating, but worthy of one's time! February 20, 2013
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Prescient in many, many ways. Reading this book, published in 1992 reads like it is a 2013 NYTimes best seller. The truth is crispy clear and nothing has change with the possible exception that things are only getting worse. For a student of the many recent calamities of political history, this is nearly a "must read". The fact that the author could see the simple facts as though they were clear to everyone, is not unusual. What is unusual is the delivery of these simple facts, overlooked by most people. With the ridiculous amount of time politicians give themselves away from their Washington D.C. office, I wish they would grab this book and READ it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars You need to read this if you care about America remaining strong with...
Excellent research goes into this book explaining the decline of the middle class in America. Please read and vote for your representatives who understand the importance of a... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Randi Wickliff
5.0 out of 5 stars BOOK READING
VERY GOOD BOOK EASY READING AND IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. IT HAS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ON WHAT WENT WRONG
Published 6 months ago by MOHAWK
5.0 out of 5 stars America: What Went Wrong
I bought this book when it first came out and loaned it out and never got it back. When I receivced my recent purchase I picked up were I left off. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Bill Soto Castellanos
5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required reading
When you're ready to go beyond the talking heads and sound bites this is a must read for anyone who cares about this country and what happens to it's people. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Jesse W. Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars America: what went wrong - review
I purchased this book to read before I read their new book Betrayal of the American Dream.
I am not active in politics and sometimes find it hard even to keep straight who is... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Howard
5.0 out of 5 stars America: What Went Wrong
The best book I have read about what has happened to us and why, including excellent graphs that give an easy to comprehend picture.
Published 9 months ago by Fred
5.0 out of 5 stars Security loss
The basis of this book was a PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER series in 1991. Reader response was overwhelming. Read more
Published on February 24, 2007 by Mary E. Sibley
5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading
Any one really reading this book can't help but be angry at the way a small segment of the ultra wealthy control our government and our tax situation for their benefit. Read more
Published on October 7, 2006 by R. D. Hoag
1.0 out of 5 stars A worthless political diatribe
This book is a worthless diatribe written from a Maoist/Leninist/Marxist perspective. No one would argue that there are excesses in American business, but these guys are so biased... Read more
Published on October 15, 2004 by L. Ziering
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