A very thorough and convincing work by an honest and rigorous mind. Lou, discusses, in this work the main policies of our government and our country that are steadily and consistently impoverishing the average working American. Specifically, the topics covered - the non-independence of our press, the negative economic fall-out from free trade agreements such as NAFTA and CAFTA and the lack of enforcement around illegal immigration, the low quality of our educational system, and lastly the high cost of our health-care. Reading Lou's book makes you virtually want to cry.
He systematically shows, with sound logic backed by statistics, that for a while now, the government of the United States has consistently, in its new policies and trade agreements, been catering to the dictates of large corporations at the expense of the welfare of the average citizen. It's depressing, it makes you angry, it makes you ask 'how could we have gotten to this state, how could we have sold out so much on our democratic ideals?'
To give Lou credit, in the final chapters of this book, he offers up some simple advice on what we, you and me, can do to 'take back the country.' Some of the advice is as simple as registering as an 'Independent' voter so that neither the Republicans nor Democrats can take your vote for granted. Lou also gives some examples of corporations, and local city and state governments that have taken enlightened action - such as American Apparel in choosing to pay decent wages and NOT to use cheaper overseas labor for the manufacture of its textiles. As a bonus, at the end of the book, Mr Dobbs includes all three for your reading pleasure - the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and all the Constitutional Amendments.
At times, I felt a little mired in data, reading this book but it stayed interesting and in the end, I was grateful for such an enlightening and thorough work. Thanks, Lou!!
