Customer Reviews

The Wealth Inequality Reader

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was actually well written and very informative. It is very critical of capitalism and seeks ways nearing the end of it to reform advanced capitalism. There are charts in it which makes viewing wealth gaps easy to grasp and there is a lot of information on anything relevant to wealth itself (i.e. stocks, credit, etc.) I used it for a class and learned a lot and still refer to it. I only give it a 4 because it is different essays by many different people and there were a few I could have done without reading, but for the most part it's worth a read.

This is the first edition of The Wealth Inequality Reader. The topics and their treatment are very relevant yet today.
I personally prefer this book over "Top Heavy". This book does cite data from Edward Wolff but I found The Wealth Inequality Reader as an easier read.

The book examines the 7 causes of wealth inequality.
Contrasts income vs. wealth.

What conservatives real motivation is for cutting taxes on the wealth- to eliminate social programs because they are too expensive. Chuck Collins shares his observation on the success of conservatives through think-tanks and similar organizations to push for policies that are not in the best interests of the vast majority of citizens.

Page 88 has a quote from Kevin Phillips that I found to be still accurate in today's political landscape.
"When money is king, politicians get bought on a truly grand scale and philosophy bows to avarice."

Chuck Collins and Dedrick Muhammad describe the neo-conservative "shrink, shift and shaft" agenda. Shrink regulation and welfare while enlarging "warfare" and "watchtower" states. Shift progressive taxes to regressive payroll taxes. Shaft the majority of the population by shafting(underfunding) infrastructure like schools and roads.

A really intriguing subject is the Alaska Permanent Fund-an example of a public trust.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a critical study of current economic policies and some solid solutions from the Progressive side.