Rating: 
Summary: Republicans, Democrats, everyone else should read this book
Review: Read this book as a civic duty. Even if you don't want to know, you need to know how utterly corrupt our government, corporations and media are. Greg Palast is the muckraker of our times, and he's virtually exiled from America because no one will print his work. PBS won't even show the documentary illustrating how the voter rolls in Florida were tampered with before the 2000 election. Don't dismiss Palast for being partisan in the sense of Republicans and Democrats; he dishes the dirt on the Clintons and Gore, as well as Bushes Jr. and Sr. and Tony Blair. He is, however, biased towards social justice. If you are more concerned with corporate profits than corporate responsibility, you will find this book to be rather obnoxious. Greg Palast was at a book signing in Chicago on May 4, which this reviewer attended. He said that the centralized Florida voter database is being held up as a model for every other state to follow. Republicans take heed: Palast pretty much said that Democrats in Democratic-controlled states were just as happy to have the opportunity to monkey with their voter rolls, as Republicans are. Meanwhile we are switching to ballotless voting booths and doing away with exit polls, with no way of knowing if our votes were counted as we cast them. Draw your own conclusions folks - how long before our vaunted democracy becomes another banana republic?
Rating: 
Summary: Everyone believing in democracy should read this book.
Review: Everyone believing in democracy should read this book. Greg Palast reports how individuals, family clans, and cooperations with influence and money bend and break the rules which our democracy depends on. Covering the presidential election in Florida, the role of American foreign policy, water and energy suppliers, and the World Bank in the breakdown of several developing countries, scandalous lobbying efforts in Britain, Canadian mining companies threatening freedom of speech, and, as a continuous theme, the inability or the unwillingness of American newspapers and TV networks to inform the public about any of these topics: Palast gives you a disturbing view on big politics' nasty practices. What distinguishes this book from similar reports published elsewhere?
It doesn't waste your time on rumors, conspiracy theories, or general accusations. Palast backs up each story with dates, facts, details, and names -- he must have invested a tremendous amount of time and effort in investigating his stories. Why not five stars then?
While I think this book is definitely important to read, for my taste Palast's writing style is sometimes a bit too sloppy. I also would have appreciated if he had replicated some of his key documents fully and in length, maybe in an appendix. Granted, Palast does provide links to internet resources for some scanned documents, but then: Why not write a bit more concise and put in some original documents for the reader to explore? But of course, that's largely a matter of personal taste. It still holds that everyone believing in democracy should read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Stealing Elections?
Review: I think it's telling that those who accuse the Bush brothers of stealing the election in Florida totally ignore evidence that the Gore team was engaged in the same tactics. Neither side has clean hands here folks. Many illegals voted in Florida, military ballots were excluded and an early call sent panhandle conservatives home. That Palast ignores all of these facts reveals him as a partisan. That he glorifies socialism while completely ignoring socialism's WELL DOCUMENTED ills and evils heaps more discredit on his work.
Rating:
Summary: Few stones left unturned
Review: All right, I'll admit it. My attitudes about various things, corporations, the World Bank, and countless other items, change as do my experience with them. But this fine text brought me back to the planet earth. And to get the criticism out of the way, yes, there were a few editing errors. Like another reviewer or two, I noticed that (have, unfortunately, reduced my evaluation by one star.) But I don't make it as big a deal as some others. Get over it, and keep on reading. Palast starts the book with an appropriate blast at our first unelected president. I saw a film on the same subject and to that and this book I have the same comment: "Racism" is a word that's so overused that it's lost its original effect. Doubtless those who manipulated the records to keep thousands of Democrats from practicing their right to vote were conscious of race. But it gets boring to claim they did it because of their unadulterated racism. I think they did what they did out of convenience: They knew that those they targeted for elimination were almost all Democrat, as are the bulk of the black and Latino population. Well, I don't want to dwell on that, and I understand Palast's point, but the bottom line is that the election was a sham. (I blush that we Yanks claim to be such a thriving democracy and now, thanks to the GOP, the rest of the world sees us as a joke.) A good deal of the focus of the book is a subject on which I've expressed bitterness for decades: the media. Even in the electoral sham, Palast starts that such foolishness wasn't even reported in the US press, but was exposed in his journal which is British. Other items, such as the sell out of much of the world's poor by the World Bank and related organizations not only frequently occur but are NOT covered by the good old boys of American journalism. Indeed, it is from this book that I learned a lot, for instance of the police slaughter of demonstrators in Bolivia, or of the half a million or so who marched in favor of the president of Argentina. (The US press only covered the less that half of that number who marched against him.) Then there was the Exxon-Valdez sinking. I'd bought into the fairy tale that the ship's captain was drunk and ran the vessel aground. Palast educated me by showing that the corporation had conspired against all kinds of regulations and THAT'S why the ship eventually sank. The rest was typical PR generated to make the serfs look responsible. Palast is not just a Yank basher. In fact, he's is far more critical of British libel law. At least in this country we can express something without fear of criminal penalty from the government itself. In Britain, they're not so lucky. (And, with respect to Britain, Palast exposes the, shall I say "mercenary"--with that I'm being a real gentleman--nature of Tony Blair's government. I'm not saying we Yanks are better, but if I found my representatives being so blatantly corrupt, I'd send them to prison!) There's a great essay on Pinochet's Chile, notably that, contrary to what we hear all the time, Pinochet's "economic miracle" was a travesty (AND a slaughter) while the "liberal" policy is the only thing that worked for that country, and for the others he discussed. And the corporate collaboration with those who overthrew Allende is truly criminal. And, again, of course, the US press didn't cover that. They're too busy passing on the PR copy of the "corporate relations" offices. Even Pat Robertson gets exposed by this book in a way that should make us all pause and reconsider everything about that "religious" figure. There's so much more I could say but I don?t want to give away everything on this book. If you want to read how this country really runs, I cannot recommend this volume strongly enough. It gets depressing, and many heard me let out shouts of anger as I learned more and more. But the end implores the reader to DO something. There's any number of web pages to refer to from which to learn more. And I'm still not sure what I'll do. But it's time to do something, again.
Rating:
Summary: Ugly Mosaic
Review: Our government is corrupt. Most Americans know that, but don't like pondering the consequences. The brazeness of the Bush gang, however, makes our national avoidance hard to sustain. Now the rot extends to national elections, rigging the very heart of a beleagured democracy and its claims to legitimacy. Palast details the shenanigans in meticulous fashion that no candid person can deny. Should this palace coup surprise us? Of course not. There's big money at stake in rolling back 70-odd years of progressive reforms aimed at making capitalism livable -- after all, one man's clean water is another man's business expense. Now the wraps are off. No more Let's Compromise. No more labor movement to challenge the big money steamroller as it plows across the globe, buying off a legislature here or a Blair administration there. All is dragged into the same slime pit of corporate-IMF rule. The author presents a series of revealing snapshots, but the reader must fill in the picture. It's an ugly one, but, national denial or not, it is the unrelenting reality we all face. Hang in there, Mr. Palast.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Expose of Corporate and Political Corruption
Review: One of the easiest to digest, factually backed-up and honest investigatory pieces ever done. Palast is self-effacing, smart and an excellent writer. Get this book if you want to know what is really going on in corporate boardrooms and the Oval Office.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant attacks on capitalist 'ethics'
Review: The brilliant investigative journalist Greg Palast was the first to detail how Florida's Governor Jeb Bush stole the Presidential election for his brother George. He investigates the truth behind Blairite rhetoric about the inevitability of globalisation. The IMF made Tanzania charge for hospital appointments, cutting patient numbers by 53%, and charge school fees, cutting enrolment by 14%. GDP fell from $309 to $210 a head; those in abject poverty rose to 51% of the population. In Chile in 1973 unemployment was 4.3%; after ten years of Pinochet and wage cuts of 40% it was 22%. Between 1960 and 1980, when the welfare state was still the model, income per head rose by 73% in Latin America and by 34% in Africa; people lived another ten years longer. Since 1980, under the Thatcher-Reagan model, income per head in Latin America has risen by only 6%, and fell by 23% in Africa; life expectancy has fallen - which the Financial Times' monetarist Sam Brittan intelligently attributed to 'bad luck'. The European Community's secret memo 'Domestic Regulation: Necessity and Transparency' abandons the 'sovereign right of government to regulate services' that Trade Minister Richard Caborn promised MPs that the General Agreement on Trade in Services would observe. This won't just apply to what we think of as services, given that the US Government succeeded in defining bananas as services! Between 1983 and 1997, 85% of the increase in US wealth went to just 1% of the population; productivity rose by 17%, real wages fell by 3%. Blair is in the US's pocket. Who gained from his deals? GTech of New Jersey, Entergy of Little Rock, Reliant of Houston, Monsanto of St Louis, Wal-Mart of Arkansas, Wackenhut (the prison company) of Florida, Columbia Health Care, Bechtel of San Francisco, Enron of Houston. Palast writes, "In his heart, Tony Blair hates Britain." In his what? If you know anyone who still doubts that capitalism and Labour are corrupt, get them this book. It provides all the evidence for indicting this government - but when are we going to act on it?
Rating:
Summary: Truth Supported By Evidence
Review: In "The Best Money Democracy Can Buy" one can get quality information outside of the corporate media conglomerates. The author does back up what he writes very well with good research. It's important to hear a voice that is not within the mainstream media today. Unfortunately there is little alternative to the generic corporate electronic and print media in the modern U.S. This has an effect on the way the masses think, perceive, and hold opinion. As for the gist of this book, there are numerous examples in our lives that reveal the fact that money, power, and influence go hand in hand. The author chose particular examples supported by investigative research and corroboration. First, the United States is not a democracy. The military-industrial complex, electoral college system, Political Action Committees (PACs), soft money, and corporations, shape public policy and control the United States political system at the federal level. Political policies of the states are less influenced by the above mentioned special interests, but they are following the similar path of the Federal government. This encroaching anti-democratic corporate-military dominance has been increasing significantly since the end of WWII. President Eisenhower, the former general, was the first to warn of the "growing emergence of the military-industrial complex" in the 1950s. And today in 2003, how right he was. One misconception that most Americans have, thanks to American media propaganda, (major networks, cnn, etc.) is that markets promote democracy. There are some correlations between free market economies and democratic societies. There are also many correlations of free market economies and autocratic dictatorships, and oligarchies. There are some examples of the abuse of power that the author chose to elucidate that may not be to everyone's liking. Apparently, Palast thinks convicted felons--if they are black--should be allowed to vote in elections. (Perhaps because nine out of ten of them vote for Democrats might be the reason Mr. Palast thinks this way.) Jeb Bush did the right thing in Florida by having felons excluded from the polls. All felons of every background, should be kept from voting.
Palast notes the old news of how Clinton and Bush both instructed the FBI and other officials investigating terrorist links to the Saudi government not pursue their investigations further, basically turning a blind eye. It would cause embarrassment, ruffle feathers, and stir up discontent. the editing in this book, like many today, is poor. The WTO, the tool of wealthy nations to more efficiently exploit poorer nations (in the name of the misnomer of free trade) is examined and more facts of this organization's policies are presented. The World Bank, which benefits only a few, has also done a thorough job of destroying nations' economies, and lowering the value of their currencies from Argentina to Australia. Palast speaks clearly and concisely. His arguments are cogent, sound, and backed-up. I hope he continues to give us, the ignoramus masses, an alternative to the terribly bland and generic sources of distorted and biased information we Americans are constantly inundated with. Read this book, and it will open your eyes if you're new, or reinforce what individualistic common sense you already have.
Rating:
Summary: The book Bush and Cheney do not want you to read
Review: Palast has the courage to take on the major powers in our contry: the government, media and corporations. Unlike the cowering Democrats and intimidated media, Palast calls it like he sees it without fear of Fox News, Sean Hannity and their buddies. Pick it up and read what you can't watch on TV.
Rating:
Summary: The truth comes out at last........
Review: No matter what your political or religious affiliations may be, the information in "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" affects everyone in the United States and elsewhere or possibly will sometime in the future. It certainly appears that the global elite and those who control the monetary standard of life leave no stone unturned in their wicked pursuits and show no remorse from its adverse effects on the common populace. Early on in the book, the presidential election of 2000 (focusing on Florida) is put under the microscope with some dramatic revelations. Thousands of registered U.S. voters were denied their right to vote, many of them African-Americans. A thorough explanation is well detailed to show the reader how this occurred. Obstruction of civil rights and bias immediately come to mind coupled with the fact that statistically, African-Americans in Florida predominantly vote democratic. Coincidence? Not likely. Farther along, the book describes how the Bush family has indeed been linked with the Bin-Laden family (not Osama himself) in Saudi Arabia regarding business ventures. Not for public knowledge of course, the presidential administration ordered the Department of Justice (FBI) to steer clear of any revealing investigations concerning this match not made in heaven. The sum total, to a point, is that the United States may have missed out on critically valuable information regarding terrorism. Rounding out this review, chapter 4 of the book gives you a taste of the heinous activities of the IMF (International Monetary Fund). Here's a group that likes to throw third world and even developed countries into chaos with outrageous financial policies and procedures. One example is privatizing water and power structures and then financially bleeding consumers to death with exaggerated fees. Another that I found most distasteful was in Tanzania. A relatively poor African country with a rampant AIDS epidemic now charges fees for hospital appointments and charges fees for school attendance, all courtesy of the IMF. These above summations are just the tip of the iceberg. The book has many more disturbing and revealing chapters that readers will find very interesting. Finishing off, Greg Palast sends a clear message that the mainstream media is not your friend and they love to expose critical news stories long after public sentiment has elapsed and damage control has been completed. As a former governor of Minnesota once said, the media is no longer in the business of reporting the news, they are in the business of creating the news. Greg Palast has written an outstanding, although disturbing book of who actually controls power and money and their machinations to sweep aside the little people regardless of consequences. This is a highly recommended read for those that are fed up and those looking for answers.
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