Pigs at the Trough [Hardcover]

Arianna Huffington (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 14, 2003

Who filled the trough? Who set the table at the banquet of greed? How has it been possible for corporate pigs to gorge themselves on grossly inflated pay packages and heaping helpings of stock options while the average American struggles to make do with their leftovers?

Provocative political commentator Arianna Huffington yanks back the curtain on the unholy alliance of CEOs, politicians, lobbyists, and Wall Street bankers who have shown a brutal disregard for those in the office cubicles and on the factory floors. As she puts it:

“The economic game is not supposed to be rigged like some shady ring toss on a carnival midway.” Yet it has been, allowing corporate crooks to bilk the public out of trillions of dollars, magically making our pensions and 401(k)s disappear and walking away with astronomical payouts and absurdly lavish perks-for-life.

The media have put their fingers on pieces of the sordid puzzle, but Pigs at the Trough presents the whole ugly picture of what’s really going on for the first time—a blistering, wickedly witty portrait of exactly how and why the worst and the greediest are running American business and government into the ground.

Tyco’s Dennis Kozlowski, Adelphia’s John Rigas, and the Three Horsemen of the Enron Apocalypse—Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, and Andrew Fastow—are not just a few bad apples. They are manifestations of a megatrend in corporate leadership—the rise of a callous and avaricious mind-set that is wildly out of whack with the core values of the average American. WorldCom, Enron, Adelphia, Tyco, AOL, Xerox, Merrill Lynch, and the other scandals are only the tip of the tip of the corruption iceberg.

Making the case that our public watchdogs have become little more than obedient lapdogs, unwilling to bite the corporate hand that feeds them, Arianna Huffington turns the spotlight on the tough reforms we must demand from Washington. We need, she argues, to go way beyond the lame Corporate Responsibility Act if we are to stop the voracious corporate predators from eating away at the very foundations of our democracy.

Devastatingly funny and powerfully indicting, Pigs at the Trough is a rousing call to arms and a must-read for all those who are outraged by the scandalous state of corporate America.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Arianna Huffington, popular pundit, columnist, and author, is not known for her polite criticisms or her carefully worded complaints. In the course of Pigs at the Trough: How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption Are Undermining America, the corporate CEOs, accountants, politicians, and lobbyists at who she takes aim receive little relief from their porcine characterization first intimated in the book's title. And while she is full of invective for Enron's Kenneth Lay, Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski, Dick Cheney, and others, she backs up her outrage with dollar figures, dates, names, and specific information. The voluminous research is made more digestible by Huffington's direct and often amusing writing style (she characterizes a CEO's process of getting a loan approved by a corporate board as being akin to Tony Soprano getting a loan from Paulie Walnuts). Interspersed between chapters are entertainingly informative sidebars, including quizzes on executives' avarice and games where you match the CEO to his yacht. Occasionally, Huffington's anger gets mired in name-calling, which deflates her points. And while she spends ample time and space outlining the particulars of a flawed power structure, she dedicates little time to offering practical solutions toward remedying the problems. But Huffington is not trying to write a political science textbook or a party platform. As a highly readable indictment of corporate and governmental excess, Pigs at the Trough: How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption Are Undermining America is highly successful. --John Moe

From Publishers Weekly

Nationally syndicated columnist Huffington's greatest dilemma while writing this scathing indictment of the corporate and political culture that brought the "new economy" '90s crashing down must have been how to choose among the plethora of examples of greed, corruption, hypocrisy and political manipulation. So unsavory are the CEO villains, so unfathomable is their greed and monstrously callous is their disregard for the thousands of employees who lost jobs and savings because of them, that even the most worldly activist and most cynical political observers will be shocked by what they read here. And Huffington's indictment of the corporate culture of greed, one that she believes undermines democracy, goes far beyond the high-flying corporate figures featured in congressional investigations. Among her accusations are that U.S. drug companies allowed the African AIDS epidemic to rage in the interests of corporate profits, and that President Bush is a conspirator in the corporate disregard of the interests of the American public. This is a powerful book, brimming with wit and sulphurous satire that connects the dots among politicians, lobbyists and corporations, and demonstrates their destructive effect on the well-being of average Americans. She may well be on her way to achieving her goal of convincing readers "to join forces to storm the control room of the S.S. America."
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 275 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (January 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400047714
• ISBN-13: 978-1400047710
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,763,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Arianna Huffington is a nationally syndicated columnist, author of eleven books, and the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post. She is also co-host of 'Left, Right & Center,' public radio's popular political roundtable program.

In May 2005, she launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that has quickly become one of the most widely read, linked to, and frequently cited media brands on the Internet.

In 2006, she was named to the Time 100, Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people.
Originally from Greece, she moved to England at the age of sixteen to attend Cambridge University. She graduated with an M.A. in economics. At 21, she became president of the famed debating society, the Cambridge Union.

Her latest book is ON BECOMING FEARLESS . . . IN LOVE, WORK, AND LIFE. Her other books include:

' FANATICS AND FOOLS: THE GAME PLAN FOR WINNING BACK AMERICA, offers a scathing portrait of our contemporary political landscape with a bold, inspiring, and practical approach to restoring America to the promise envisioned by our greatest leaders. It was published in 2004.

' PIGS AT THE TROUGH: HOW CORPORATE GREED AND POLITICAL CORRUPTION ARE UNDERMINING AMERICA, became a New York Times bestseller when it was published in 2003.

' HOW TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT, on the corruption of our political system and the need for reform, was published in 2000.

' GREETINGS FROM THE LINCOLN BEDROOM, a political satire, was published in 1998.

' THE FOURTH INSTINCT, on the longing for meaning in a secular world, was published in 1994.

' PICASSO: CREATOR AND DESTROYER, a biography of Pablo Picasso, was published in 1988. It was a major international bestseller, translated into 16 languages. The book was also made into a film starring Anthony Hopkins as Picasso and produced by Merchant-Ivory for Warner Bros.

' THE GODS OF GREECE celebrates the power of myths as guides to forgotten dimensions of life and ourselves. Atlantic Monthly Press republished it with paintings by Fran'oise Gilot.

' THE WOMAN BEHIND THE LEGEND, a biography of Maria Callas published in 1981, quickly became an international bestseller.

' AFTER REASON, on political leadership and the intersection of politics and culture, was published in 1978.

' THE FEMALE WOMAN, on the changing roles of women, was published in 1974 by Random House and translated into 11 languages.

Huffington has made guest appearances on numerous television shows, including "Charlie Rose," "Oprah," "Nightline," "Real Time with Bill Maher," "Inside Politics," "Larry King Live," "Hardball," "Good Morning America," the "Today Show," "Countdown," and "The O'Reilly Factor."

She serves on several boards that promote community solutions to social problems, including A Place Called Home, which works with at-risk children in South Central Los Angeles. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Archer School for Girls, and on the board of the Reform Institute, which works on campaign and election reform issues.

Arianna Huffington lives in Los Angeles with her two daughters.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

112 of 117 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A book about crime, not just about money February 12, 2003

By Stephan Filimonovich

Format:Hardcover

It is difficult to believe that some of the reviewers here have actually read "Pigs at the Trough." While they offer personal criticisms of the author herself, they say little about the book she's written.

"Pigs at the Trough" does, stylistically, contain some cliche phrases (the counting of cliches having been mentioned by another reviewer, who has obviously taken up the practice as presented by Martin Amis in his excellent book, "The War Against Cliche"). I attribute some of the cliches, however, to the fact that Ms. Huffington's writing is more like journalism than literature, much more about frank criticism that subtle, ironic remarks (of the sort found in papers like "The Guardian," for example).

Ms. Huffington's aim in "Pigs at the Trough" is to present the facts (and they are facts) on corporate crimes, and to introduce the reader to those who commit them.

"Pigs at the Trough" does not, in my opinion, come across as an attack on all businessmen or on wealthy people. This book is not focused on the fact that these businessmen are wealthy so much as the criminal ways in which they've managed to obtain that wealth. Americans need to be more aware the shamelessly illegal ways in which some businessmen, often CEOs, have obtained (I cannot say "earned") their fortunes.

The businessmen mentioned in "Pigs at the Trough" did not accumulate wealth through an honest work ethic, but out of exploitation, fancy accounting, and the circumvention of laws. They go unpunished for it, and Americans let them.

Yes, there are - obviously - business people in America who live very comfortably and have accumulated their wealth honestly and did not commit crimes in the name of money. These people are not the focus of "Pigs at the Trough", and rightly so.

This is an excellent read, especially if - like me - you have not managed to keep a running tally (and it would be such a lengthy one) of all of the corporate crimes you've heard of, or if you've not memorized all of the names of CEOs who ought to be in prison. Even the daily newspapers that bring us the Enron and WorldCom scandal coverage don't often delve deeply into what exactly a CEO going before Congress has done over the years.

"Pigs at the Trough" is a blunt and effective debriefing on crime for which we are all long overdue.

72 of 74 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Keeping the (other) Elites on the Run. Sorry, Laura. I just had to use it. March 24, 2006

By Edwin C. Pauzer VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This was the book that started me reading more and more about politics, and the political influence that afflicts our country. I highly recommend it, and here's why.

In a hard-hitting, almost cynical style that I did appreciate, the author attacks companies that have raped the public and their employees because of their own greed. She names them like a littany of indictments that followed their wake: Adelphia, Tyco, Arthur Andersen, Enron, World Com, to name a few. Huffington shows how these once respected companies, their greed, and the relaxation of regulations have allowed them to virtually alter standard principles of accounting so they can hide money and cheat the government, taxpayers and employees.

Unlike one reviewer here who found her style sarcastic, I didn't mind. After all, these greedy little folks who walked away with millions after stranding customers and leaving employees pensionless, can take a little sarcasm their way. However, I agree with him the quizzes got in the way of the pace of the book, and seemed a little childish. (I always carry a highlighter for books like this one anyway.)

The most important thing Arianna makes clear is that politicians no longer seem to represent the people who elect them, but the interests of the corporations with the largest contributions. (It's called bribery outside of Congress.) This administration has given their blessing with their silence, and has a huge following of people who still believe their gospel while they are getting their own pockets picked. The repudiation of the pension for United Airlines is a perfect example. What did the administration say? Nothing, not a word! But let the poor, little guy declare bankruptcy, and Senator Orrin Hatch and other congressmen of his ilk will be after them on behalf of MBNA, forever.

It's strange that neocons who worship at the holy grail of unrestrained capitalism, have little to say about this book, or challenge its contents. For once they cannot retort with that tiresome, insipid lament, "Well, Clinton did...." It's about the greed that this administration, corporate CEO's, and congressmen have fostered and encouraged with sweetheart deals, no-bid contracts, tax breaks, loopholes, secret meetings, and even corporate protection laws.

It's about people who never seem to have enough, no matter how much they already have. They will always want more.

67 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Communist?! April 24, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I just read "Pigs" on a cross country flight. I thought it was an excellent analysis of how the U.S. government no longer functions as a democracy. It works like a radio station payola scheme. Inbred corporate directors steal money from investors and workers by giving each other outrageous amounts of money despite poor performance. Some politicians try to pass laws against these abuses, but these corporate govenors fund election campaigns making it impossible to change the system. Huffington lays out the issues that need to be addressed in order to correct these problems and gives out information on groups working to fix these issues.

I find the attack of this being a communist book to be [silly]. Huffington shows ways to make us back into a democracy where our vote counts and competition is fair. Corporate welfare is a form of communism if you ask me.

In regard to the cliches. Huffington uses the same wit that you could see on the Daily Show, or Politically Incorrect. This isn't a masterpiece, but it is a very accessible and useable guide to how our government currently works.