Take the Rich Off Welfare: The Real Story (Real Story Series) [Paperback]

Mark Zepezauer (Author), Arthur Naiman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Real Story Series | Publication Date: October 1996

This tightly written, fact-filled book covers the S&L bailout, subsidies to the agriculture, airline, automobile, chemical, energy, logging, media, mining, oil and weapons industries, tax loopholes for accelerated depreciation, advertising, banking, business meals and entertainment, capital gains, insurance and overseas marketing, and much more. Tables, charts, illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Thank God the U.S. government has begun to cut funding of the arts, humanities, and social services ... but what are they going to do with all that surplus cash? Although the popular media has been largely mum about it, most of the welfare payments go to large corporations in the form of tax write-offs, subsidies, and plain old handouts. This frightening and enlightening book by the editor of The Tucson Comic News (a monthly collection of comic strips and panels) traces the flow of money into such worthy projects as subsidizing nuclear power plants (the last one was finished in 1973, but that doesn't stop the U.S. government from spending $7.1 billion a year on this vapor industry), tax breaks for the tobacco industry ($41 million last year), and corporate expense account write-offs ($5.5 billion last year). Read it and weep.

About the Author

Mark Zepezauer has worked as a journalist, cartoonist, editor and publisher since 1985. His articles, columns and reviews have appeared in the Village Voice, In These Times, Austin Chronicle, San Jose Metro, Santa Cruz Sun and Arizona Daily Star. His limited-edition art book, The Nixon Saga, is found in museum collections worldwide. From 1993 through 2000, he published the Tucson Comic News, a monthly compendium of editorial cartoons and commentary. Zepezauer wrote two books for the Real Story Series (now published by South End Press): The CIA's Greatest Hits (1994) and Take the Rich Off Welfare (1996).

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Odonian Press; First Printing edition (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878825313
• ISBN-13: 978-1878825315
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,455,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enraging and revealing study of subsidies,etc. to the rich., February 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Take the Rich Off Welfare: The Real Story (Real Story Series) (Paperback)

This is the most comprehensive summary of tax write-offs, subsidies and other welfare schemes favoring the affluent and powerful that I have ever encountered. Well documented! Should enrage the average tax payer.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short and to the point!, September 26, 2000

By 

Chad Bagley "Chad" (Shanghai China/Provo, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Take the Rich Off Welfare: The Real Story (Real Story Series) (Paperback)

The next time some smug nabob starts muttering under his/her breath about the drain on our economy caused by the proverbial `welfare mother' (you know, the one that's driving the Cadillac), you can put em' in their place armed with the wealth of info contained in this short but well written little book.

As `Take the Rich Off Welfare' aptly points out, welfare really does suck a lot of money from our treasury, but it's not the poor and needy in this country that benefits from this bonanza. As a matter of fact the word `wealthfare' is more applicable, because that's who's really benefiting- the wealthy.

Very brief, but meticulously researched and with sources to back up every fact, `Take the Rich off Welfare' is a great introduction to the big wide world of graft in America. If you've ever been curious about who has their foot in the back door of the treasury- check out this fine book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars awesome, October 12, 2008

By 

A. O'Halloran (Toledo, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Take the Rich off Welfare (Paperback)

Hope he updates this after Bush leaves office since there'll be much more governmental waste to report on! Tis book made me laugh, cry and want to vomit at many occasions to hear about the wasteful spending and tax breaks for the rich and superrich in America. I'm a social worker and proud advocate for social equality, and reading this makes my heart hurt for all of America's poor and the rich in our country who live the high life at their expense.