The 5 Big Lies About American Business: Combating Smears Against the Free-Market Economy [Hardcover]

Michael Medved (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

WHY FEEL EMBARRASSED BY BUSINESS?
 
Every American benefits every day from the phenomenal productivity of the free market, so why do so many people feel guilty or skeptical about our business system? In this passionately argued, eye-opening book, talk-radio star and bestselling author Michael Medved provides detailed and devastating rebuttals to the most widely circulated smears against capitalism.
 
MYTH: Big business is bad, small business is good.
 
TRUTH: Every big business began life as a small business, and every small business today yearns for enough success to become a big business tomorrow. For some products—like cars or electrical power—little companies can’t benefit their workers or customers as reliably as huge corporations.
 
MYTH: Business executives are overpaid and corrupt.
 
TRUTH: Top leaders will always command top dollar, and a company can’t limit executive pay without limiting its access to talent. Ferocious, long-term competition in the corporate world ultimately rewards focus and hard work, not short cuts and corruption.
 
MYTH: You can count on better treatment from the government than from business.
 
TRUTH: If a private company deals with you poorly, you can take your business elsewhere. But with the government’s power, you get only two choices: compliance or jail.
 
Medved responds to business-bashing lies with the slashing wit, irrefutable facts, fascinating historical nuggets, illuminating anecdotes, and liberating clarity that made him one of the top-ten talk-radio hosts in the United States. This audacious
and urgently needed book provides energy and inspiration for a beleaguered free-market system poised for its unstoppable comeback.

About the Author

MICHAEL MEDVED’s daily three-hour radio program, The Michael Medved Show, reaches more than four million listeners on more than two hundred stations coast to coast. He is the author of eleven other books, including the bestsellers The 10 Big Lies About America, Hollywood vs. America, Hospital, and What Really Happened to the Class of ’65?, and is a member of USA Today ’s board of contributors. For more than a decade he cohosted Sneak Previews, PBS’s weekly movie review show. An honors graduate of Yale, Medved lives with his family in the Seattle area.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Crown Forum (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307464946
• ISBN-13: 978-0307464941
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #93,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Setting the Record Straight, December 18, 2009

By	Larry Underwood "Author, 'Life Under the Corp... (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The 5 Big Lies About American Business: Combating Smears Against the Free-Market Economy (Hardcover)

Corporate America has been labeled as a vast wasteland of bureaucracy, red tape and micromanagement; led by pompous CEOs who have little or no regard for their employees; who forsake long term success for short term profitability. And that's on a good day.

I witnessed much of those things, after spending 26 years in the often hostile environment of corporate America; however, the free-market system that so many have criticized in recent years, is still the best system for creating economic prosperity for civilization, and you can take that to the bank with you; assuming you can find one that's still open for business in these troubled times.

Seriously, our recent financial troubles---from the real estate crash of '08 and the subsequent global economic meltdown, to the failures of many of Wall Street's biggest names---have been chronicled in many books; but the underlying causes had nothing to do with the system, per se; it's more a failure of incompetent and misguided individuals, from all sectors of business and government, who did too little to prevent the meltdown; and much to prolong the agony. Hopefully, the lessons learned from the many fiascos that took place over the past couple of years, will help us avert a similar fate in the future.

American business is flawed, but is still capable of rebounding; indeed, the recovery appears well under way; with good management in place, the system provides value for the consumer and a healthy work environment for its employees; and it works best with minimal government interference. History has proven that time and time again.

This particular book, written by Michael Medved, helps clear the air on some (five) of the "big lies" about American business. Some of the misconceptions may be applicable to poorly run enterprises; for the vast majority of businesses attempting to thrive in a free-market economy, it's a bunch of hogwash.

I'd also recommend reading some other optimistic books on the subject of capitalism that have been recently published; a couple of my favorites: The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism & How Capitalism Will Save Us: Why Free People and Free Markets Are the Best Answer in Today's Economy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Business Is Not All Bad, July 29, 2010

By	JAC (Austin, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 5 Big Lies About American Business: Combating Smears Against the Free-Market Economy (Hardcover)

The title probably doesn't appeal to a lot of casual readers but they're missing an eye opening book about why the death of capitalism has been greatly exaggerated...and rightly so.

These days we often hear (mostly from the government) how evil business is and how government has the solutions. Mr. Medved does a good job of discounting both of these statements. His arguments are well thought out and he gives great examples. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's interested in business or politics.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Current and informative, March 22, 2010

By	J. Moore (Connecticut) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The 5 Big Lies About American Business: Combating Smears Against the Free-Market Economy (Hardcover)

Given all that is going on in Washington at the moment, this book couldn't be more appropriate. The arguements presented by the author are coherent and sufficiently supported by facts. Good job!