Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Comparasions
Review: This book covers a great deal of history and provides alternative explanations for economic growth after conflict and technological innovation. The comparasion between Spain, Netherlands (Dutch), UK (Britons), and America is very intriguing as well. Since, it provides somewhat comparative examples of past economic giants, which allows the reader to hypthoesize where America is headed in the future. I recommend anyone just reading that one chapter. In addition, Wealth and Democracy has a different attitude towards globalization that is somewhat protectionist in my opinion. Although, Phillips gives the indication that this is necessary to recoup lost jobs due to outsourcing. Otherwise, this is a very comprehensive text that covers much business history. Also, it provides reference worthy social stratfication data for any arm chair politician. It's amazing how he found the high dollar income data, which prevades most scholars. I recommend the book, but die-hard conservatives won't get a Darwinism fix. So you won't see it on the National Review suggestion list. Similiarly, the seat of the pants extreme liberals won't see radicalism get out of hand. It's a book for people in middle, even though all reasonable people can enjoy it.
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Summary: Oh no....not Kevin Phillips again!
Review: I made the mistake of reading Phillips "The Politics of Rich and Poor: Wealth and the American Electorate in the Reagan Aftermath a decade ago (interestingly when the economy was in the same mess it's in now)Phillips is one of those authors that loves to breed on negativity and jealousy. Isn't it amazing how people will applaud (sometimes) when somebody wins the lottery (although green with jealousy) but look with ambivelence when someone becomes successful in a business."The rich get richer" they lament. "Rich people should pay more in taxes" Oh really? Who provides the jobs, surely not the poor! If you want to increase layoffs, tax the rich so the money that was headed for payroll and business expansion now goes to taxes.Phillips message is old and tired. If the past is any indication, look for this book to come running out of the gate only to stop dead and fall fast just like The Politics of Rich and Poor did. I saw one man with this book under his arm while he was buying a lottery ticket. Does that tell you something?If in fact all of the wealth were redistributed, it would be back in the same hands within 2-5 years. All those with self earned wealthhave achieved success irregardless of the government. Americans have become financial wimps by depending on government intervention. True success depends on you, not the government. If you really want this book, wait for a used copy here at Amazon or on the discount racks of a used book store. I suspect you'll find many copies lying around.
Rating: 
Summary: Wealth and Democracy
Review: Well-researched book that looks at the historical and present-day facts about the often negative effects of wealth on democracy and the current tax cuts for the rich.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad Economics
Review: If you are going to write about business and the wealthy it helps to know basic economics. Mr. Phillips is unburdened by any real economics knowledge and it shows. This book is trite, tired and erroneous. There is a book waiting to be written by a Marxist or Keynesian about the intersection of wealth and power in American political history, but this isn't it.
Rating: 
Summary: Difficult Reading - Lots of facts:
Review: I found the book eye opening and quite interesting. I wish the book was easier to read for John Q Public. It is my belief that if Kevin would be able to make the facts come alive and understandable to John Q, it would be a best seller..............
Rating:
Summary: Makes a good doorstop
Review: If you really want this book, check your local used book stores. I found a copy of W&D for a $1. Did I buy it? No, still overpriced in my book.Besides, this book is mistitled. Nothing about wealth in here. If you are frustrated and looking for an excuse to rationalize your problems, then this book is probably for you. If you are looking for any real solutions, forget it---buy another book.
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Summary: Why is this book still around?
Review: Phillips books typically make it to the discount racks before they make it to the normal retailers like BAMM, WALDENS, BJ DALTON, BORDERS etc. To wit, I checked our local book store to "browse" American Dynasty only to find they didn't carry it. Nor do they carry Wealth & Democracy, although I did find a copy of W&D at a used book store for about $1. Didn't buy it. Wasn't even worth a buck. Besides, I have very little respect for a man who helped get Nixon elected.
Rating:
Summary: A Re-Gilded Age
Review: It would be hard to write a clearer indictment of the dynamics of politics and money that this history-expose. It covers not only in American history, but the entire sequence of cutting edge economies-empires, from sixteenth century Spain, seventeenth century Holland, nineteenth century England, and finally twentieth century North America. Laid out in a series the Faustian game of prosperous nations finally declining is grim, and the entire question ends off key with the case of the American economy and what it has been up to in the last twenty-five years. It's hard to resist the conclusion, given the facts, that the business class left to its devices is a menace to living populations of citizens, who they leave in the lurch after the cresting of the tide. Let us hope that current crop of economic hyenas can be stopped in time so that the great American democracy might survive into the next century. In the meantime, by the reckoning of the author, the dry rot was more than begun to set in. At least, given the clear history, we can learn, and react to the fleecing going on even now.
Filled with a lot of good data, and historical snapshots from the entire era of the modern, this book is well worth reading for its convincing portrait in slow motion of the economic plight of nations.
Rating:
Summary: It has nothing to do with laziness
Review: Who builds the roads and highways America is dependent on? Working people. Who builds the buildings America lives in? Common working men and women. Manual labor workers are responsible for building America. They built America with blood, sweat and tears for the past centuries. It wasn't the rich who used their hands to build this country. And it definitely wasn't rich business men who volunteered to fight and die for this country to exist in the first place. The rich financed the Revolution but it was the common average man who put the plan into action and made America. Who makes the rich get rich? Common men who buy the products or services they sell. Nobody gets rich by themselves. The people who make the rich people rich are getting less percentage of the wealth. The gap between rich and poor is getting to be as big as it was in 1929, when the Great Depression happened. Every working class American should read this book.
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Summary: More garbage from Phillips
Review: If you have already read Profits and Politics or The Cousins Wars or Arrogant Capital, you should have gotten your fill of this Nixon-ite. The fact that his books only have a higher than deserved rating at Amazon and don't sell that well in the book stores should tell you what kind of an audience this guy has. If you must read it, check it out at your library (if they have it)or buy a used copy for a buck.
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