Thieves in High Places: They've Stolen Our Country--And It's Time to Take It Back (Hardcover)

by Jim Hightower (Author) "The Kleptocrats have taken over..." (more)
Key Phrases: corporate lobbyists, White House, Wall Street, Democratic Party (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Author, populist, and radio commentator Jim Hightower is nothing if not direct. In Thieves in High Places, Hightower lambastes the current American power structure and exhorts his readers to fight against it. Hightower's indignation runs deep in this "us versus them" exposé of corporate malfeasance, governmental abuse, the militarization of American society, and the Bush administration's empire building. In the first part of the book, Hightower illustrates how the Bush administration and Congress work with major corporations (including our nation's vast media conglomerates) to add to their obscene wealth at the expense of America's working class, our environment, and (most lamentably) our rights and liberties. "The elites have pulled off a slow-motion coup, radically wrenching America's power balance from a people's democracy to Kleptocrat Nation."

Hightower defines "Kleptocrat Nation" as "a body of people ruled by thieves...a government characterized by the practice of transferring money and power from the many to the few...[and] a ruling class of moneyed elites that usurps liberty, justice, sovereignty, and other, democratic rights from the people." His catalogue of corporate greed and governmental complicity is breathtaking in scope, and though he admits that the fusion of business and government is not new, he persuasively states that "never have so few done so much for so few." Unfortunately, Hightower's serious message is delivered in such a "down home" style, it may lose its impact on the more brainy among us. Also, one wishes there were more documentation for the copious examples and facts in the book. Still, Hightower's call to action is sincere, and his descriptions of the triumphs of average people over corporate power might give some fledgling activists some hope. Thieves in High Places urges Americans to reclaim control of our government--Hightower thinks we can with community organization and grass-roots movements. However, judging from his description of the current power structure, we are going to need all the help we can get. -- Silvana Tropea

From Publishers Weekly
Populist radio commentator, columnist and author Hightower (If the Gods Had Meant Us to Vote They Would Have Given Us Candidates) delivers a timely manifesto for progressives living in what he calls a nation ruled by "a confederacy of kleptocrats." In Hightower's view of the current political situation, "King George the W" reigns atop a greedy hierarchy of corporate-politico corruption in which many politicians have become no more than handmaidens of corporations and the super-rich. Devotees of Hightower's populist politics and his sardonic style will find much to admire, but the average reader will consider the book a jumble of loosely connected treatises laced with distracting sidebars and peppered with hyperbolic forebodings of government evil. Hightower warns the reader, "Big Brother is no longer a paranoid's nightmare, but is alive and very much on the prowl." Hightower's prose at times bears an uncomfortable resemblance to the propaganda he condemns. While he does offer inspirational stories of community action and even practical information (e.g., how to contact a long list of public interest groups), the book's disorganization is baffling: he careens in one chapter from professional sports through the fate of public libraries to the history of Santa Claus. In addition, Hightower's quasi-comical, off-the-wall pronouncements (suggesting, for instance, that CEOs of companies with tax-free Bermuda bank accounts be required to wear Bermuda shorts at all times) tend to stifle his worthy, impassioned calls for action. Progressives will need a more comprehensible spokesperson if they hope, as Hightower envisions, to "take [America] back."
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First Ed. Reprinted with Corrections edition (August 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670031410
• ISBN-13: 978-0670031412
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #600,926 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

118 of 126 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now these are high crimes., October 8, 2003

By	Dennis Phillips "The Book Friar" (Bulls Gap, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Jim Hightower has issued a call to arms in this his latest book. It is a call to action that should be answered by the vast majority of Americans for the current system is serving very few of us. Hightower has only stated the obvious in regard to our current government structure but he does so in a very clear manner that may just get the attention of America. Too often we just accept things as they are because speaking out is too much trouble. If we aren't careful, we are going to lose the America we love to corporate greed and corruption. Bush won't help us for he and his whole crew are company men all of the way and are doing everything they can to help the process along. In Jim's words, "Never have so few done so much for so few." The things Hightower documents in this book are not only unbelievable but also downright scary.

The Democrats don't escape Hightower's wrath either. Bill Clinton and the Democratic Leadership Council are just about as guilty as are the Republicans. These people figure that if they don't fight the corporate greed that is ruining America they can expect large campaign contributions. It has obviously worked since as Democrats we no longer seem to have the trouble raising money that we used to. On the other hand, as a party we no longer have a soul. The reason the Democratic Party exists is to fight for labor, the poor, and all of the other good hard working Americans who look to our party for protection from the, "haves and the have mores." Quite simply, I don't care how much money Microsoft puts in DNC coffers; our principles should not be for sale.

Just as the reader starts to get really depressed, Hightower hits us with the good news. People all over the country are starting to stand up and be counted. It's not a political thing, as both Democrats and Republicans have worked together for the common good of their community. From little projects like planting flowers along a highway to taking on and defeating big corporations who want to bring part-time minimum wage jobs to the community while destroying local business. Yes friends, the MacWal-Marting of America can be brought to a halt and Jim has the stories to prove it. This book also has the dirt on some of America's corporate giants and some of the things these people do in the name of profit are just downright disgusting. I'm not sure if I will ever go into a Wal-Mart again. There are also chapters that expose the food industry, sweatshops, (hello again Wal-Mart) and the decline and fall of our right to privacy.

Ending on a high note, Hightower issues his call to action. He has shown the reader how corporate greed and government avarice can be defeated and at the end he gives us the contact information we need to join the fight. This is an excellent book, laced with both humor and acid. Every American should take a look at this book. You may not agree with all Hightower has to say but he will most assuredly give you something to think about.

75 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every American Should Read This Book, October 22, 2003

By	K. J. Bryant "peachycream" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Jim Hightower tells it like it was, is and always be. He proves that neither party represents the common man. He holds no punches and delivers his message with a Texas flair. At times funny and at times deadly serious, Jim takes us backdoor to what is really happening to our country. Only a few selected people control this country and they are doing EVERYTHING in their power to keep control. He also talks about how the neo-conservatives have hi-jacked the Republican Party and why the Democrats are no longer the progressive party. Jim shows why all of Texas don't like GW Bush and he shows facts how Bush actually hurt Texas, rather than helping it. Bill O'Reiliy clams he is a populist. But he NEVER tells the truth when it comes to the Republicans and most importantly, to President Bush. To keep from getting into hot water with his bosses, O'Reiliy just avoids the subject or sugarcoats it. Jim Hightower is not like that. He is a true populist who tells it like it is and don't care if Republicans or Democrats don't like it.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Angry book shows the way to recapture Real Democracy!, November 1, 2003

By	Sally Burnell (Kent, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

OK, so you're sitting there feeling helpless that "BushCo" (that corporate monster that now inhabits the White House) has raised close to $100 million in donations to its Presidential campaign, is literally in the back pockets of nearly every Fortune 500 company in this country and thus has access to its money, has Big Oil on its side and seems virtually untouchable with the
might and power it has accumulated in its greedy quest to inhabit the White House for another four years, right?

As in, OK, this is one big helluva David and Goliath type of thing. How on earth can We The People topple someone who has become almost a dictator with every moneyed and powerful entity on his side and probably more power than any President since this country came into existence?

Well, sit yourself down in your favourite comfy chair or couch, pour a nice hot cup of reality tea and read this book. Jim Hightower shows us the way, the very REALISTIC way, that We The People can take back our Government from the greedy minions of "BushCo" who would subvert the very foundations that the Founding Fathers laid forth for posterity.

It's called, "Grass Roots", and it's a very powerful weapon that "BushCo" can't stop, given enough of a juggernaut by We The People. Gather round the kitchen table and listen to Jim Hightower tell you of very REAL success stories of Real People like you and like me who defeated Big Corporations (read that, Big Money) using grass roots organising and a bit of moxey and a
hell of a lot of anger.

You know the one beautiful thing about Americans? We may seem, at times, to just sit there and take it: OK, now, shut up, go shop and spend that tax break we gave you, oh, and don't question us, we know what we're doing, so just move along, move along. Well, Americans are a rebellious bunch, as has been proven by our history, and eventually, they wise up to the Fat Cats and rise up against them and defeat them.

It's happened time and again throughout our history. And it's beginning to happen again. Big Money, Fat Cats, Corporate Raiders and all those evildoers would have you go spend your money at Wal-Mart and thus shut down all of your local businesses due to what they call "predatory pricing" (just drive
through the east side of my home town of Kent, Ohio, and see what our Wal-Mart did to our locally owned businesses! It's a wasteland of empty buildings out there!).

They would have you continue to feed the system of slave labour in China, where workers (often women and children) are forced to work sometimes 20 hour workdays for mere pennies a day. I dunno about you, but this seems like slavery to me. But gee, how DOES Wal-Mart keep its prices so low, anyway? Wanna know how? Read this book. It will shock you into never wanting to buy another thing from anyone whose products are produced in overseas sweat
shops, among many of the indictments against Wal-Mart in this funny, angry book.

They would dump toxic waste wherever they please, not caring that it could sicken you and yours, raid your retirement funds and give themselves multi-billion dollar bonuses and live high off the hog while you struggle to pay your basic bills, and laugh all the way to the bank when their Corporations go belly-up like a dead fish on a Lake Erie beach, throwing your friends and neighbours out of work and scrambling to figure out what to
do now that they have no retirement funds.

Sure, this book will make you plenty mad when you read it, but you'll laugh yourself silly and have fun at the same time! But Hightower also gives an inspiring road map back to real Democracy, the way our Founding Fathers meant it to be. You'll find out how ordinary citizens complaining around kitchen tables over coffee learned to muster their resources and hold Big
Money and Big Corporations accountable and defeat their attempts to ruin their communities.

READ THIS BOOK! ...

Tell your friends! Tell your family! Tell your co-workers! Tell people at your church, synagogue and mosque! Tell them that YES! We CAN defeat "BushCo" and bring back the Democracy of Jefferson, Madison and Monroe! And moreover, we CAN create a fair, just and sustainable world for our children, grandchildren and future generations. (And I'm not just talking about the
good ol' US of A, either!)

Thanks. Now, go read! :-)

And when you're done, get out there and start organising! Do it for yourself, do it for your children, do it for the future of your country! Don't let Corporate raiders and white collar criminals spend another four years looting your towns, your banks, your retirements funds and spewing toxic waste along the way, all the while laughing their way to the bank while you stand there with a pink slip and no retirement funds, a hapless victim of these greedy and soulless minions.

GRASS ROOTS LIVES!!!