Customer Reviews

The Seven Fat Years: And How to Do It Again

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Robert Bartley, former editor of the Wall Street Journal (may he rest in peace), has written one of the best accounts of the 1980s economic policies, explaining what led to the economic growth, and what can be done to re-create these policies once again.

Many people who claim to oppose supply-side economics never explain how the theory works. The notion that Reagan's tax cuts were mere "trickle down" economics is buttressed by the fact that no one claims that the money will "trickle down." That is not how the economic philosophy works in theory or in practice. Instead, the theory considers high taxes to be another example in which a high cost placed on a product or service is likely to result in fewer interested buyers. Similarly, high marginal tax rates are more likely to stiffle growth since the reward for working additional hours is diminished. Those with small businesses, or those who invest, may decide that the extra work will not translate into higher returns, and thus may produce less. That is not good for the economy because this stiffles economic growth, and is a recipe for stagnation, which is exactly what happened in the 1970s. So reduce taxes to create more growth. The marginal rate fell from 70% to 28% during Reagan's tenure.

The other part of Reagan's program was to have a tigheter monetary policy. By tightening the dollar, it would reduce inflation. Thus, tighten the dollar, reduce inflation, and reduce taxes, and create growth. That is exactly what happened. During Reagan's tenure, inflation went down and growth went up. THIS IS AN INDISPUTABLE FACT.

The left does not like this theory because it contradicts the notion that government has an effect in creating economic growth.

But no matter what the liberals want to think, the young economist who went to Eureka College -- Ronald Reagan -- outsmarted all of them. His plan worked, while Jimmy Carter, the man who thought he knew everything, was an abyssmal failure.

Michael Gordon

With the continual lies told of what happened in the 80's this book sets the record straight. Robert Bartley tells the truth and shows you what really happened in the 80's. This is a history book that should be required reading in every high school in America insted of the Re-Written history that is taught today by the liberal education estabishment. Ronald Reagan's economic policies work and this book shows it and shows us how to do it again. If you are a disbeleiver in the economic growth of the 80's caused by Ronald Reagan's policies read this book and see the truth, not the lies that have prevailed for so long.

The Seven Fat Years is the definitive history of Ronald Reagan's economic policy achievements. But rather than just heaps of praise upon Reagan's policy he goes and does the next step. He shows without a doubt that what truly works in creating real and lasting prosperity. He takes the theory of supply side economics, what the leftist news media slammed and never reported on in a fair and intelligent matter, and makes it highly accessible to any layperson. If you are not a convert after living though the 80's and you are still not a convert after reading this text you a hopelessly incurable socialist.
I would suggest that you also read another book "Economics on Trial: Lies, Myths and Realities" By Mark Skousen. With those two books digested you will know more about real economic policy than 99.9% of all university economics professors.

Bartley, the editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal, expertly and succinctly refutes the revisionist history of the Reagan years as it is invariably handed down to us by the liberal media. This book tells the true story of the revitalization of the U.S. economy during the 1980's.

I agree with a previous review in that your synopsis of "The Seven Fat Years" assumes that the 1980s were a "decade of greed and heartlessness", a completely unsubstantiated assumption. It is incomprehensible to me that an intelligent reviewer could assert this. Bartley, as editor of perhaps the finest newspaper of its kind in the world, has done readers with an historical interest in this period a service, that is he has presented an accurate appraisal of the 1980s. For those interested in "supply side theory", this text should serve as a primer. The Reagan presidency, coming after the drift of the Carter years, was a period of economic and historical dynamism without parallel in our history. Read Bartley and find out!

Ronald Reagan's economic policies in the 1980s were an incredible success, and that is Bartley's in depth thesis. The book describes the Seventies and how the supply-side theory began to take hold. A thorough account of the policies and the people are described in detail.

This is a must read for anyone interested in the truth about Reagan's policies. We witnessed the longest peacetime economic expansion AND disinflation in American history.

Here are the chapter titles:

THE PARADOX OF THE EIGHTIES
1. The Man from Mars

LEAVING THE SEVENTIES
2. The Malaise Decade
3. Michael 1
4. Turning Point
5. Meanwhile, Money
6. Ronald Reagan
7. The Perils of Paul
8. The Panic of '82
9. Boom
10. Sincerest Flattery
11. What You Learned if You Were Awake

INTO THE NINTETIES
12. The Dread Deficit
13. The World
14. The S&L Debacle
15. Greed and Envy
16. Victorian Finance
17. Turning Back?
18. A New Belle Epoque?

Praised by noted economists and political figures, The Seven Fat Years provides the reader with a history of the Reagan Era. By detailing the economic accomplishments he lays to rest the criticisms of Reaganomics with facts and figures. Not willing to remain in the past, he also details how we can repeat the successes of the Reagan Era

Regardless of the political philosophy you may keep and despite any biases you may have, every one of us must accede that the Amazon.com synopsis of The Seven Fat Years; And How To Do It Again is childishly silly and utterly unprofessional.

The very idea that using an ideology diametrically opposed to the views of the author as a means to market his book is itself absurd. It's practice is even more so.

Would a book on President Clinton sell if it's publishers announced on the back cover, "The Definitive Clinton: Here are his famously un-American social, economic and personal philosophies collected in his own words, with linear notes by Newt Gingrich and a forward by Rush Limbaugh,"?

Amazon.com, like any business, is committed to the marketing of all of it's products...in theory. In practice a simple-minded leftist ideology has been permitted to infiltrate and deter the very people who might be interested in buying their product from doing so. And for what purpose?

If indeed it is obvious to all that the 80's "clearly represented a decade of waste and greed during which the poor were heartlessly abandoned," then why even state it? If thought has become so homogenized, then why even sell the tomes of dissenters when the alternative could further a truly worthy cause - saving the life of an ancient redwood?

Why not just remove the offending manuscript?

Why not simply flick the match and let smolder the delirious rants of the un-enlightened

Yes, free enterprise capitalism brings more economic benefits than socialism. Reagan's tax cuts worked. There is a great moral truth that people should retain their earnings rather than fork them over to the state bureaucracy. Yet, the Reagan boom did not lift all boats. The mediocre and the inept slipped backward in the 80s just as they have during the Clinton boom of the 90s. The rise of the two wage-earner family, much of it forced on mothers due to economic circumstances (continued high taxes, the collapse of high wage, semi-skilled jobs) is a shame which neither Republican or Democrat or liberal or conservative have really attempted to tackle. The press release, prevelant during the Clinton and Reagan booms, of "We've created ___ million jobs in __ years" is a lazy, stupid, dishonest sort of boast. The families of America would be better off with fewer but better paid jobs rather than a bunch of $8/hr. jobs. The New Class, either conservative or liberal, does not seem to understand it. Mr. Bartley does not understand.

Robert L. Bartley must have been living on a different planet(during the 1980's) with this book. OR he is really just trying, sincerely, to sell a book with complete (deceptions). We hope(for our mental sake that he was living on a different planet) and NOT being a hypocrite in (relaying) inaccurate data/events by trying to pull the wool over our economic eyebrows with this book of hyper lies or exaggerations.

The Reagan first term in office started with lies!. His early 1981 Tax breaks, were masked by tax increases(state and local taxes rose). He also claimed that he would be responsive and
responsible for sound fiscal budgetary accounting. His entire term in office was scarred by ballooning federal budget deficits.

Because of his overwhelming budget cuts(he sold the American people in early 1980 on STARVING late 1970's hyper inflation by cutting the budget and Federal Reserve monetary supply so severly, too severly) and because of the real tax breaks (and) tax increases in the early 1980's and because of left over inflationary pressures from the Carter and Nixon years,therefore THE FIRST half of the first term of Reagan's years were marked by an early (1980's technical recession, just look at the GDP figures for that period). And every so called heavy weight media and non media conservative in this country allowed this lie of 7 fat positive growth years to continue.

The battle cry at the end of Reagan's first term in office fiscally proves my point here. With Reagan's NOW famous "stay the course". He and his campaign fake strategists were ACTUALLY begging us good American's to stay the economic course for his second term. And why?. Because his supply side economic policies of his first term WERE NOT WORKING for positive economic growth. Yes we were in a Contraction or recession during (NEARLY) the entire first half of this so called "7 Fat Years". It was NOT until the mid 80's that economic growth took hold and continued to late 1989(and this was false growth based on government debt/spending and consumer debt/fake borrowing).You are a real jokester, Mr. Robert L. Bartley author of this book. You should have titled this book "4 or 5 Fat Years Based on False Growth or Debt".

Also to throw voodoo economics on top of BAD economics, we as a Nation were treated to the S AND L mess. Co-authored in part by then Vice President George Bush Sr's son in Colorado. That cost us big(in the financial pocket books Mr.and Mrs. America). We are still paying for this calamity in the form of left over 80's now new millenium insurance premiums and fees from our wonderful consumer based banks.

And to top this whole terror Reagan economics off, coupled with too lazy "deregulations" we fell back into a technical recession at the end of his term(1989). NOT because of Bush Sr's lack of his own creative supply side economics. But because of the TOTALLY faulty beginning pen-menship of Reagan economics to begin with(all debt and false/fake economics all the time).

The ONLY really UNIQUE portrait of Reagan economics is: Reagan is one of the few, IF not only American President ever to be partially responsible for creating a technical recession(1981-1983)and fully responsible for 1989-1992 technical recession. How about that as a factorial for you history making maniacs?.

Care to debate it further? Contact me,
www.frankievradioshow.com
at Email:media19582003@yahoo.com
Phone 609-835-0984