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Summary: Krugman forgets footnotes. Leaves readers in the dark.
Review: I think Paul Krugman is a fine economist. The writing he has done on the evils of mixing economics and ideology is interesting and informative. He regularly uses data (rather than opinion) to support his views on policy. But I'm saddened that "The Great Unraveling" is void of any citation or backing. Krugman makes many strong points but fails dramatically in backing them up. If Tom Delay went so far as to cite the teaching of evolution as a cause of the Colombine killings I want to know where. Without proper citation Krugman's writing lack validity and meaning. The only thing Krugman demonstrates in "The Great Unraveling" is that he lacks the writings skills found in most first-year undergraduate students.
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Summary: Poor Kontantin
Review: Dear Konstantin: You remind me of the "big fat idiot".Maybe you have a mental addiction to stupidity. Go on rehab. You need it
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Summary: Conservative phonies at it again.
Review: What's up with all the fake parody reviews? It reminds me of a child imitating everything said in a room, but the part that's sad is how an adult actually thought this tactic up. Well it doesn't work!Krugman's book is a must-read for people who prefer facts and honest free thinkers to the gradeschool mentality displayed by their counterparts on the right. So it has a left-wing stance, and seems written by a liberal? AMEN! Note to said conservative phonies: Being a liberal isn't a negative to liberals, and if you don't like liberal writers there are plenty of copies of Coulter's book still waiting to be purchased.
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Summary: Krugman Effectively Sounds a Warning
Review: Economist Paul Krugman is horrified by the economic stewardship of the current administration, and his critique, "The Great Unravelling," is devastatingly effective. Those with American Flag stickers pasted on their cars who have been blindly following our current President and accepting whatever he says at face value would be rudely awakened from their patriotic slumber, if they could stir themselves to read this book. Using a large selection of his New York Times Op-Ed columns, Krugman fires salvo after salvo at the radical Republicans who are running the nation. What makes Krugman's critique all the more powerful is that he clearly and rationally backs up his arguments. This is not a half-baked, knee-jerk liberal reaction to conservatism, but rather a painstakingly well thought out broadside at the callousness, hypocrasy and deceptions that permeate the corridors of power these days. The superficial patriots will not read this book, but every other American who cares about their country should before they enter the voting booth in 2004.
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Summary: This book hits the nail directly on the head.
Review: The bankrupting and fall of Russia is seemingly starting to appear in America. The Russian Industrial Military Complex bankrupted Russia. Only a few Russians did seemingly well. Notice the large shift of public monies from the U.S. treasury have now been handed to our Industrial Military Complex by way of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Only a few well connected are seemingly reaping the dividends as the result of this action. In Indianapolis there are many plants closed and many in the midst of closure. Many empty retail shops. Even among the malls there are closures of stores. Indiana ranks #1 in foreclosures and bankruptcies. Something is wrong. This book will enlighten you as to the sources of this shifting paradigm.And why. I'm afraid after Bush's tenure America is going to be as broke as Russia. Notice how most of the books authored by those friendly with our current administration are lightweight diversions? Invariably nothing more than divisive rhetoric lambasting liberals or writing self congratulatory books about Who's looking out for you.. Hell, you would think the Demo's were still inhabiting the White House by the content of their works. America is sinking at the moment by the hands of the neo-cons. Unlike books written by neo-con puppets,this books seeks to educate,inform,and enlighten those of us outside of the ivory towers. Those of us that see America daily at the street level without the obstruction/distortion of tinted windows. Or from the distant view of a penthouse suite.
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Summary: sadly, this excellent book won't matter much
Review: Paul Krugman explains better than anyone what's wrong with the Bush Administration's economic policies, the extent to which the policies and views of the extreme right have taken control of policy in Washington with little public awareness or debate, and the failure of the mainstream media to clue the public in to what is really going on, especially the distortion and lying that seem to be the rule rather than the exception these days. The most depressing thing is that this book won't matter much in the 2004 elections because most Americans are either too busy, too lazy, too brainwashed, or too distracted to care.
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Summary: Krugman knows of what he speaks
Review: The far right demonizes Paul Krugman as a left wing liberal who will do anything to smear Bush. They dump on his academic credentials and compare him unfavorable to "economists" who are more agreeable to the Barney Fife in the Oval Office. Krugman is a professional trained economist, who's work has undergone peer review by academics of both right and left persuasion. The proof being in the pudding, he has lauded the work of some economists generally considered to be to the right. The real problem is that the "economists" who challenge Krugman on economic theory and application don't have any credentials other than being political hacks for whatever regime happens to be in power. And the Bush regime, being the most inept ever in American history, and the most irresponsible has more to complain about than most when truth is being told. Krugman in fact is not a liberal nor does he fit into the rubric of conservative. He doesn't see the government as being the answer to everything -- in fact he tends to think that government can mostly do wrong things. The Bush administration is doing those wrong things. Its basis economic program seems to consist of lining the pockets of its very rich friends with millions of dollars in tax savings, exporting American jobs, a tax policy that encourages more American companies to move jobs overseas, a love for unchecked spending and a total disdain for the soaring deficit. Krugman's work is a polemic, but don't make the mistake of thinking that this book does not have very solid and professional underpinnings. There isn't a lot of high-flying economic theory to explain some new circumstance. There's nothing new about the looters in the Bush Adminstration. The truth here is that Krugman was one of the earliest to point out the economic disaster the Bush administration has given the nation. But now, almost every professional economist can see it and even the political hacks are realizing how bad things are. The Bush spinmasters are busily trying to put a positive face on everything -- and there's nothing like having him photographed in a flight suit, even though when he had a chance to wear a uniform in the Air Guard, he didn't bother showing up, just like the rest of the administration chicken hawks, lusting for a fight that they would never have fought. The trouble with this group is that not a single one of them have any knowledge of what our troops are actually doing. When they thought their numbers were being called, every one of them took a deferment dive. Nothing wrong with no serving, but do you really want ivory tower types making policy that puts American soldiers in the field, over-extended, too vulnerable and no plan. The bill will come due at some point. And when it comes, we will have to find a way to pick up the check dropped on the table by the freeloaders and looters of the American nation. NOthing can so terrorize a nation as an administration who blames terror for every misdeed.
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Summary: Worse than We Know
Review: In my view none of the customer reviews here quite nail the point. Krugman is gently telling us an incompetent president with a middle-of-the-road mandate has handed the country over to lunatics. Liberals will certainly suffer for generations to come, but so will conservatives and so will the heirs of Bush's rich cronies.
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Summary: Very Informative
Review: A refreshing look at the Bush administration and the state of affairs in America today. I wonderful read, I highly recommend it!.
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Summary: Explaining the revolution launched by President Bush
Review: President George Bush is a liar. This comes as a shock to Paul Krugman, a usual resident of a comfortable ivory tower, who doesn't seem to understand that all politicians are liars. Another surprise for him is that journalists, even when the lies are obvious, obsequiously accept them as profound truths. It's how the world works outside the ivory tower. Life is a series of lies, to ourselves and to others; success consists of seeing through these lies without unduly embarrassing others. Anyone who believes everything the politicians tell them is also likely to believe used car salesmen and the developers who sell Arizona desert land. For Krugman, it's an eye-opening experience to discover the Bush administration has been, is and will continue to lie to the American people. What is far more interesting, and which makes this book a gem, is that Krugman offers an original and frightening reason for these lies. First of all, you need to think of the US government -- which spends 90 percent of its revenues on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the military -- on the same basis as an intelligent economist (Krugman). On that basis, the US government is a big insurance company which also has an army. Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare are insurance programs. The Bush administration wants to turn these insurance programs over to private insurance companies and leave the government only in the military business, plus housekeeping duties (national parks, federal lands, business regulation and the like). This is a genuine revolution, a total rejection of America as it now exists and a rejection of almost every social measure enacted since President Herbert Hoover. It is a bold leap forward into a survival-of-the-fittest future -- based on a philosophy in which Pharisees (rich Americans) are praised for passing by the travelers wounded by our society. His analysis of the Bush administration is the great strength of this book. Most journalists think of politicians as saints or sinners; Krugman is astute enough to look beyond the lies to discern the real agenda. In the main, the book is a collection of columns from the past four or so years detailing the utter folly of thinking about Bush in terms of politics as usual. Instead, he argues convincingly that Bush is waging a true revolution in American social policies. If you read it with a simple mind, on the basis of liking Bush or disliking Bush, you will either learn nothing new or will think Krugman is a liar. If you accept his premise that Bush is waging a genuine economic revolution, creating deliberate events such as far distant wars to distract the public, then whether you love or hate Bush you'll be fascinated by the insights this book offers. Bush may be a liar, but he's not stupid. Bush may be the best tonic for America since President Theodore Roosevelt, but that doesn't make him trustworthy. In either case, Krugman deftly pulls back the layers of deception (call it a smokescreen if you're a Bush fan) to illustrate a very dynamic revolution in America. This is a tremendous book. It's a tale of terror for those who hate Bush; it's a triumph for those who think the government should get out of the insurance business.
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