Is Ron Mueller the Next Matthew Lesko?

His name may sound kind of familiar, but His wardrobe gives him away every time - his trademark "question mark suit;" you know the one covered with neon question marks, his mismatched bright socks, wild bow ties and a seemingly inexhaustible collection of eyeglasses in every color of the rainbow.

Matthew Lesko Is the best-selling author and infomercial host, who has published over 70 books showing everyday people how to get free services and products from the federal government. He has had two New York Times best-sellers and two national best sellers, Getting Yours and Information USA.

Twenty years ago, Matthew Lesko was working out of his bedroom with one phone line helping Fortune 500 companies get information on commodities. One day he had an idea: why not publish the names and numbers of federal programs that offer free and low cost services and money programs for taxpayers.

Ron Mueller is doing for the home-based entrepreneur, with the 5th edition of his #1 New York Times best selling book, "Home Business Tax Savings Made Easy!," (formerly titled, "It's How Much You KEEP that counts, not how much you make!") what Matthew Lesko has done for the public with his grant information; which is to take the laws written by congress and the IRS and place them in one easy to find, easy to read reference guide.

Ron Mueller uses everyday language to convey his simple message, as a w-2 employee, without a home-based business, you are overpaying your taxes week after week, month after month, year after year. Every American should willingly pay our taxes we just don't need to over pay them.

So are all those tax breaks, so frequently touted by & to would-be entrepreneurs, for real or what? Unequivocally YES! They are most assuredly for real, they're NOT "loopholes," "tax dodges," or "tax avoidance schemes." They're honest, ethical, legal tax breaks, which are Authorized by Congress, Published in the IRS Code, and Approved by the Federal Tax Court.

One of the common misconceptions many home-based entrepreneurs share however is that their accountant or tax-preparer has received specialized training in home business tax laws.

According to Dr. Mueller, that be couldn't further from the truth, "An understanding of home-based business tax law is not taught in most accounting schools, and isn't even tested on the CPA exam! So, simply finding a person with CPA after their name is no indication whether they do, or don't, know ANYTHING about home-based business tax law. In most cases they will only know if self-taught."

"If I need surgery I would seek out a specialist. I now know that I need to do the same thing for tax preparation. The right surgeon can save my life. The right tax advisor can save my financial life."

How important is this guide to the average American? Quite simply stated by best-selling author and entrepreneur, Robert Allen, in the introduction to, "Home Business Tax Savings Made Easy," "everyone with a home-based business needs this book. Anyone without a home-based business needs it even more."

Dr. Mueller spent 12 months researching every tax code, congressional law or federal court ruling that pertains to home-based businesses and then another 6 months translating all of that into plain English.

Why?

Because everyone thinks they pay too much in taxes, but most people are unwilling to do anything about. This book removes the, "I didn't know" excuse from our vocab.

If you're a Network Marketing Professional who's not using the information contained in the pages of "Home Business Tax Savings Made Easy," to explain to your potential business partners the exact nature of their tax advantages - you're working way too hard.

Let's get real - What's the #1 reason most people are looking to join your business in the first place? Correct, they need more money - usually right away! Not now - RIGHT Now.

Imagine being able to flip to page 169 & showing your prospective partner how they can change the number of allowances on their w-4 and increase their take home pay as soon as their next pay period. If you believe that this would be invaluable to your business then you need to own this book.

But, don't make the mistake of thinking this book is solely for Network Marketers. If you own & operate, or are looking to own & operate any type of business, full or part-time, from your home, this book belongs in your reference library as well!

Derrick Carpenter, Home Biz Tax Coach

A home-based business offers the best tax savings strategy available to the average American. http://homebiztaxbreaks.biz/
The More you Know the Less you Pay.

Follow my "tweets" on twitter: http://twitter.com/homebiztaxcoach

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Economy Doesn't Lie

The title of this article is not of my own, but the translation of a book title, invented and written by Guy Sorman.

A great title.

Perhaps for the title, it is one of those books I would like to read, the many on the to-do list...

Guy Sorman writes about economic progress and stresses the importance of good decisions making in the field of economic politics. Or economic policies.

...Sorman explains why there is "only one correct economy: the one that works". (1) the one that Works has moved us recently into a crisis but others haven't worked either:

Socialist economy sunk because "with Socialism, the State pretends it pays the workers, and the workers pretend they work".

He analyses which economies work and which not or only "at times," And does that by reviewing the economy of different countries.

There are various types of economic policies and one of them is intervention: "there is something worse than avoiding reality; public intervention at a wrong time can sink an economy into depression". The reason for the mistakes is well known: "during times of crisis, magical thinking seems to arise again and erases the rationality which had been reached; demagogy and panic can remove the knowledge taught by economic science."

This is only the information on the flap of the book.

Yet I would like to read this book, although I wonder whether the main statement of the book - economies that work - matches current insights of this post-crisis. I would like to know how financial markets - which are always right - fit into this picture. And if economies don't lie, who does?

(1) -[http://documentos.fundacionfaes.info/en/documentos/ultimos/show/00812]

H.J.B.

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Economic Development in the Philippines

At present, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is leaving her position, this time, it will be another chapter. Today it is President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino who is the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines that takes over the economic development of this nation... Although there are many issues to be tackle when we are dealing with economic development.

This development is based on the aspects where they belong to our country.

The economic aspect there is based on the purchasing power of people while social aspects is based on life expectancy at birth and adult literacy which is known as educational attainment.

The question still exist in the nation's community development.The way we see it, why do most Filipinos choose to leave their homeland and live and work elsewhere?

Based on my findings and observations including opinions here is what I discover.

First, I found out that when they apply jobs after their graduation, it was resulted to lack of good-paying jobs because there are more job opportunities abroad and the standard of living is better in most countries than in the Philippines. Most of all, the salary is much higher in other countries which is true in terms of actual job.

Second, the fulfillment of the dreams because most Filipino people choose to leave their homeland and live and work elsewhere because they want to fulfill a childhood dream.

Third, there is a feeling of desperation because the Philippines compare to well-developed countries is backward in many ways and seems hopeless in getting away from a culture of corruption that most Filipinos want to leave the land of their birth to work and live in other countries where they could find peace and prosperity.

Before I end this article, the recommendation for this issue is the Filipinos will develop as long as there is no corruption in the society because it affects the future of Filipino people.

Corruption must be eliminate at all cost and we don't need to borrow money from other countries in order to avoid foreign debts to other countries.

I hope the present Aquino administration in year 2010 will fulfill his dreams to the Filipino people in order to improve the economic development.

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"Conspiracy of the Rich" By Robert Kiyosaki - A Review

Robert Kiyosaki launched his recent book as a viral event by having chapter by chapter released online and collecting comments from readers. The end result is a physical book "Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money".

Judging by the stream of traffic flowing to his ConspiracyOfTheRich.com website and comments from readers, it has not put the world alight, but worked fairly well.

Robert Kiyosaki is best known as author of the best-selling book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and ever since that book came out in 1997, he and his colleagues, has just held publications to come.

The controversy over the years has focused on Kiyosaki's view that your house is not an asset (instead it is an obligation, because it takes money rather than makes money) and that mutual funds are unsafe and losing investments.

You can say that by the time he writes this book in 2009 his views have, at least in part, been shown to be accurate.

Kiyosaki was controversial in 2002 when he came out with Rich Dads Prophecy predicting a crash. His assertion that the demographics of the Baby Boomer generation and the laws of their retirement investments would lead to a heavy crash in the stock market when they stopped working and began living off their investments. He predicted this to be sometime from 2010 onwards, and it seems to be panning out.

However Conspiracy of Rich is his strongest statement literary statement yet.

Kiyosaki is at both vivid and scathing; from the Introduction "The Root of All Evil", to the later section on "Hijacking of the Education System", where he compares the US to wartime Vietnam or the shanty towns of Cape Town in South Africa.

His message continues, "Today, those who have a strong financial education have an unfair advantage over those who do not."

As always, Kiyosaki is speaking in general terms, using stories and metaphors (such as the tale of the big bad wolf and the three little pigs). He also references much from his previous books. In fact, every one of his eight new rules can be found in his earlier books.

But this book also has more hard and relevant facts, and more solid warnings than ever before.

For example, in Chapter 10 he explains exactly why the recent chaos has been followed by seeming stability. The graph shows that he is instead of green shoots, are we merely in the eye of the hurricane, and Lehman Brothers etc or worse is set to occur again, he predicts, within the next two years.

Chapter 12 shows that the U.S. stock market low on the Dow of 6547 in 2009 is no bottom, and that there is still much lower to drop.

A consistent criticism of Kiyosaki is that he is very repetitive. This book keeps the same style as the previous ones. Kiyosaki response is that repetition is a part of learning, and I'd agree.

A few months ago I went back and reread Cashflow Quadrant, and was surprised at how much I felt that I was not even to pick out all those years ago when I first read it.

Personally, I ended up after much of Kiyosakis path to riches. I'd prefer say its because I've followed his advice but in reality its more because my experiences have agreed again and again with his messages.

If you just want the guts of the "Conspiracy of the Rich" you can read the final Chapter 12 "If I Ran The School System", but there are enough interesting stories in this book to make it worth reading all the way through.

If you are familiar with Kiyosaki's most important books, and you understand fractional reserve banking, Fiat currency and the notion that the Federal Reserve is not federal or U.S., it has no reserves, and it is not a bank, then you can get the few extra nuggets pretty quickly.

If you are new to Robert Kiyosaki, or have not encountered Austrian economics (a term never used in the book) then it is both a treat, and a mental work out. More than any other of his books this one covers a lot of territory for the newcomer. This is also one of his most fundamental books about money and general financial skills, and deserves to be read broadly.

Author Martin Russell discusses marketing and online strategies at http://www.carefulcash.com/

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Money Changes Everything - Twenty-Two Writers Tackle the Last Taboo

Money Changes Everything
Twenty-Two Writers Tackle the Last Taboo with Tales of Sudden Windfalls, Staggering Debts, and Other Surprising Turns of Fortune
Edited by Jenny Offill and Elissa Schappell

We live in a tell-all culture. Sex, troubles with our kids, complaints about our spouses, and even our indiscretions are acceptable dinner table conversation-or at least ok while sharing a latte. Our money side in contrast is kept hidden from view.

Money is loved, feared, and worshiped. Some see it as dirty, not in keeping with a spiritual life, unnecessary. It can make a god-fearing person swear and ordinarily loving couples spit fire. Money can change everything.

The editors of this book put it this way, "To shine a light on how much we make, how much we spend, how much we owe, and how much we've got secretly socked away is to give others a potent glimpse into the values we live by. Because of this, admitting to money troubles can often feel like admitting to a weakness of character."

The money troubles coin has two sides. "Shrinks have coined the phrase "affluenza" to describe the angst and aimlessness that arise from being so wealthy you don't have to work for a living. Yet despite their insistence that affluenza can be a genuine hardship, therapists are finding it a hard sell to make others feel sorry for their clients. Most people can sympathize with the pain and struggle of the less fortunate, but the anxieties that attend being "too rich" are much harder to imagine" write the editors.

So silence and hiding are the order of the day whether the wolf is at the door or the view from the penthouse leaves you wanting.

Jenny Offill and Elissa Schappell, brought together twenty-two great writers who agreed to write about how their lives have been shaped, complicated and/or enhanced by this often hidden aspect of our lives.

The writing is sometimes comic, as in Chris Offut's story Porn Bought My Football. It can also be achingly sad and as in Marian Fontana's, A Dollar A Tear, about the money she received after her husband was killed in NYC on 9/11.

The writing is always brilliant.

Fred Leebron and Kathryn Rhett are married and each recalls their version of the money game as they describe their early lives together. Did they really experience the same things? His is titled For Richer, hers, For Poorer. It represents the wedding vow but also the way money can divide otherwise loving couples.

Walter Kirn in Treasure Me tells of failed marriages because they were based on his using his money to perhaps buy affection and love. He "tallies up just how much it costs to have sex" and does it in a very funny way.

Daniel Handler, author of the Lemony Snicket series and no slouch in the money earning category wrote a few pages titled "Winning." His idea for this essay was to buy a $1200 bottle of wine. He begins by asking, "Do you want to know what a $1200 bottle of wine tastes like? Of course you do."

His agent warns him that he shouldn't write this essay. "$1200 on a bottle of wine?" she asks. "It's immoral. People are going to attack you. People are going to call you an immoral person" she warned.

"That's what I'm interested in," said Daniel. "I keep telling people about this bottle of wine. First everybody wants some, then everybody thinks it's immoral. This is the thing with money."

And so it is and the remaining eighteen writers pose equally thought provoking ideas through their behind the scenes, behind their money accounts. Have some fun with these writers and think about your own money stories. How has money or a lack of it had an impact on your life over the years?

Gregory Anne Cox, certified life coach, was one of the early female graduates of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. She spent 20+ years in the hospitality industry, and recently, cooking privately for some of the country's rich and famous on the eastern end of Long Island in the Hamptons, NY where she currently lives with her husband and 4 cats.

Currently Gregory offers teleseminars on Midlife wellness, one on one and group coaching, is an author and speaker on the topic of midlife women's mind and body tune ups and heart health. Her newsletter and blog, both titled The You Revolution, keep subscribers and clients up to date on what's new in feeling and looking better than ever in the second half of life.

Website:http://www.livebettercoach.com/

The Blog:[http://www.theyourevblog.com]

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Book Review - The Flow of Time and Money

There are lots of books in the world about the economy, about the need to have more income as a protection against hard and lean times. There are books that toll bells of financial doom and others that try to educate. But very few tell you how to get from here to there.

Dr. Lloyd Watts, in his book*, "The Flow of Time and Money...how to create a full and prosperous life," tells you how to transition from Middle Class to Financially Independent.

What could be simpler than understanding that the transition from Middle Class to Financially Independent is to:
"...Pay Yourself First, Accumulate Capital, Buy Assets that produce Passive Income, until that Passive Income equals your expenses...." and to do this you:"...find out that changing your flow of money requires effort, self-education, and consistent daily action toward long-term goals. All of these relate to how you manage your time...."

This is where Dr. Watts' book diverges from the others. He gives clear and concise diagrams and explanations for the flow of money - how the average middle class person's income comes in and goes out in expenses - and the flow of time - how the average middle class person's time is set but goes out in "expenses" related to income. It actually all makes sense, especially when you look at his simple leaky bucket diagrams.

Dr. Watts also shows how altering the flow of time and money can transition you from middle class to financially independent. Changing the flow of money to include passive income gradually eliminates the need for a job which has a direct impact on the flow of time - what you do with your time.

A theme I find in this book is the idea of leaving a legacy. He says in his section on The Flow of Life:
"...It's no coincidence that Time and Money have the same structural form...Some people call it Life Energy, or Life...But, if they are really the same thing, how does one get converted into the other? The poor and middle class do it the easy way. They spend their time working for money, and their employer does the conversion for them...We get our 168 hours/week, which is spent sleeping, eating, bathing, watching TV, commuting and working. Our employer pays us for that work, and we spend money on taxes, food, shelter, entertainment and toys. At the end of a life, what do we have to show for it?...."

Dr. Watts is obviously a bit of a philosopher. Although his book is short and to the point, it invites thought and contemplation. He takes us from a discussion of the flow of money and time and how we can transition from middle class to financially independent - and how to get there - but also he concludes with what I call Life Questions:
"...there is more to life than just financial success. Other important aspects of a person's life can include their relationships, health, spirituality, artistic endeavors, community service, contribution to the world, etc. Ultimately, we may ask what kind of a legacy have we left behind....""...Try asking yourself this question: 'What is the biggest problem in people's daily lives that I can meaningfully address?'...Help even one person solve a problem, and you make a difference to that person. If you can generalize your solution method and share it with a lot of people, you will make a contribution to the world...."

I find that this book hits at a good time, given the current global economy and the fact that millions of Baby Boomers are beginning to ask those legacy-type of questions of themselves. Understanding where we are financially and understanding how that standing effects how we spend our time is valuable information. Add to that Dr. Watts' explanation of how to get from middle class to financially independent and what that would do to how we spend our time gives us some ammunition to change our situation.

A thought that just occurred to me - in my parents' day, their goal was to be middle class. They wanted nothing more than the comfort of a house, at least the one car, a steady paycheck and food on the table. Now, we can't even be sure we can keep the house we have, cars are expensive to keep and maintain, our paychecks are no longer a sure thing and food prices are continually rising. Dr. Watts' book comes at a good time.

*To learn more about Dr. Watts and his book, "The Flow of Time and Money" go to http://www.lloydwatts.com/

Linda C Smith, author and owner of a home-based business. I write a business blog at http://intlnat.com/ where you can also find links to my business. My joy in business is sharing my passion for my products as well as showing others how they can enjoy the benefits of a home business.

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"Multitudes at the Crossroads" author F.J. Colberg: Book Review

F. J. Colberg is a professional counselor and educator. Mr. Colberg is married, has three grown children, and lives in Puerto Rico. He has written "Multitudes at the Crossroads" as a result of his deep involvement with church ministry.

Nostradamus step aside, F.J. Colberg has arrived. Powerful and believable is the way to describe "Multitudes at the Crossroads". In these 221 pages, Mr. Colberg cautions us to look to the past for answers about the future. He begins with an explanation about Cycles and their affect on modern times. How history does and will repeat itself is one of his major points.

In "Multitudes at the Crossroads" Mr. Colberg explains the Elliot Wave and how it reflects social moods. In one chapter, he discusses the Roman Empire and how those people never dreamed of world domination. The original settlers just wanted a nice place to live and prosper. Then, as time went on, that's when the problems started.
Page by page, chapter by chapter, Mr. Colberg explains in very much historical detail how the past is coming back to haunt us. He talks about our Economy and The Politics of Oil, the race among the superpowers for the oil reserves, and in-depth coverage of what is going on in these nations, Mr. Colberg makes you aware of future implications of present day actions.

In Part II of "Multitudes at the Crossroads," Mr. Colberg brings it all together. He shows how the Biblical teachings and Prophesy coincide with what is happening in today's world such as Israel becoming a souvergn country and the exodus of the Jews. He also shows how we are ruining the planet by destroying all of Nature but how the Bible gives us hope. Hope in the form of a cleansing that will bring forth earthquakes, famines and pestilence in various places. Then he goes on to tell of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. Deceit on the white horse, War on the red, Hunger on the black one and on the pale horse rode Death. After this, it is written, there will be a new heaven, a new earth, the new Jerusalem. In the concluding pages, Mr. Colberg drives his point home with these words: A category 10 hurricane is upon us, the wind blowing from all sides and the seas confused. Your only safe harbor is Jesus Christ. Find a church; discover a whole new life in and with your creator. Or prepare for the worst, eternity awaits us all.

"Multitudes at the Crossroads" was a very direct, no nonsense look at what the Bible says and what is happening around the world. Colberg hit the nail on the head with this compelling and scary write. Yes, scary even to a believer and good Christian.

From the start I could not put it down; "Multitudes at the Crossroads" has all the excitement of the Davinci Code and the Quatrains rolled into one. I give it my highest rating of A+.

Multitudes at the Crossroads: Understanding Christian Thought in Light of Today's Events

F.J. Colberg

Trafford Publishing (2006)

ISBN 1412076080

Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (6/06)

William Phenn is a reviewer for Reader Views. http://www.readerviews.com/

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Book Review: Economics Made Easy by David S.H. Ng (ISBN: 983-834-095-2)

In Economics Made Easy, the author, David S. H. Ng discusses economic concepts step-by-step, keeping the technical jargon to a minimum. This book is presented in an easy to read format and it is not heavy for beginners. It covers the basic economics concepts in a simple and straight forward manner. David presents economics in simple language in order to facilitate reading and understanding of the students. The size of the book is small, thus making it easily portable. The coverage is appropriate and it is suitable for introductory economics courses and generally for those who are interested in Economics.

The book comprises six parts in two sections -- four parts in the Microeconomics section and two parts in the Macroeconomics section. The introduction defines economics, factors of production and emphasizes the basis of the subject that is scarcity. It lays out the main problems of economics and explains how different economic systems in the world solve their basic economic problems. The author uses a simple diagram to illustrate the production possibility curve.

In chapters 2 to 4, the author discusses demand, supply, price determination, elasticity and government intervention with simple data tables, diagrams and clear examples. The author also uses standard mathematical tools to explain elasticity in chapter 3 and utility theory in chapters 5 to 6. Chapters 7 to 8 engage the learner in a comparative study of short-run and long-run costs. The author examines the different environments in which firms operate in the real world in chapters 9 to 12. Chapter 13 will give readers some ideas of the labour market and how to determine the optimum factor. Throughout these chapters, the author uses data tables, diagrams and examples to illustrate cost, revenue, profit maximizing output and input.

In the Macroeconomics section, chapters 14 to 16 deal with national income. The author uses diagrams, flowchart and simple mathematical equations to explain the equilibrium income and develop readers' understanding of concepts. The author presents chapters on money, banking, fiscal policy, monetary policy, unemployment and inflation in an easily understandable and well organized manner. These chapters cover the essential content of the macroeconomics and each chapter breaks down in a structured and orderly way. The author uses integrative approach and combination of contents makes the reading more interesting. For example, he has reduced repetition of contents in topics of banking, monetary policy and inflation. He uses integrative approach in chapter seven where he illustrates the difference between accounting profit and economic profit. The integrated learning of economics and accounting makes the lesson more motivating during the learning process.

In chapter fifteen, students are asked to derive the consumption function, draw the equilibrium income diagram, calculate the size of the multiplier and compare the characteristics of a recession with a boom. Combination of these skills will help students to understand economics in relation to real-world situations. For example, if the students can understand determinants of consumption, then he or she can also understand the fluctuation in national income better.

International trade was discussed in chapter 22 onwards. Some illustrations and worked examples in comparative advantage analysis are provided. Informative and well presented, this book of over 160 pages, on the whole, is a good read. One of my favorite things about this book is the author's ability to tell readers what the subject is all about and present it in easily understood manner to engage the readers' attention. In conclusion, I believe this book is suitable for beginning tertiary students taking courses in economics and those who are interested in economics as we actually live in a world of economics.

Jane Huey is a teacher in Malaysia. She teaches Economics, Mathematics and Music.

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Jonathan Swift and A Modest Proposal

A Modest Famine

"These mothers are forced to employ all their time begging sustenance for their helpless children," writes the great English 18th century satirists Jonathan Swift in his short pamphlet "A modest proposal." In this pamphlet Swift is identifying the major problem in the country of Ireland, which was starvation. "A Modest Proposal" is a satire in which Swift suggests a solution to the starvation throughout Ireland during the 18th century. Swifts idea is to have mothers sell their children to be skinned and eaten, by the richer members of society. On the release of this proposal their was a large outcry against it and it became immensely popular. The pamphlet had to be reprinted several times within its first few years of release. Starvation was devastating the nation of Ireland, but the population did not understand that is was caused by a plethora of reasons such as, political, economical, and social reasons.

Ireland had long been beset by the English who had abused their friendship and eventually turned them into a colony. In 1199 the King of England, John, referred to Ireland as his "Sister Kingdom," but things quickly changed as England saw what money could be made by exploiting their Irish neighbors. The religion of England was Protestantism around that time, however Ireland was a catholic country, and this difference caused the Protestant English to look down on the Catholic Irish. By 1621 England held power over Ireland and they began to pass laws that took away the land of the Irish Catholics. In 1641 Irish Catholics owned 59% of the land in Ireland, but by 1703 they only owned 17%. One of the main factors in this transition was the revolt of 1688. Because the Irish Catholics were oppressed so terribly, in 1688 many of them decided to fight back against the English. However they could not hold up for long against the well trained army of the English. In order to pay their soldiers and captains, England promised these men fighting in its army land in Ireland. Since it was the Catholics who started the uprising it was the Catholics who lost their land when the English made good on their promises of land to their soldiers. These laws continued to be enforced and eventually the Catholic hierarchy in Ireland was abolished. The "Sister Kingdom" idea had completely disappeared by 1729 and Ireland was looked upon as an English Colony.

I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggars child. Ireland was in dire social straits by the time Swift wrote his proposal in 1729. In the 1660s to 1680s Charles 2nd of England passed the Navigation Acts. These acts forbade the exporting of goods by any of the English colonies unless they were exporting it to England. Since England applied these rules to Ireland, it severely hurt the Irish trade, because it stopped them from trading with other countries and making some profit for themselves. In addition to the Navigation Acts, Charles 2nd passed the Cattle Acts, which stopped the English from importing livestock. He did this partly so that the English who raised livestock would not have to compete with an international market. However since the Irish could not export their livestock to England and they were banned from exporting it anywhere else, due to the Navigation acts, finances from livestock quit entering the country. Furthermore in 1699 England passed the Woolen Act which banned the Irish from exporting wool to anywhere including England. This was devastating to the economics of Ireland because throughout the country the Irish were raising sheep, and their wool fetched a fairly high price on the market compared to the rest of the goods that Ireland had to sell. With this restriction on their exporting wool, they were only allowed to ship it to certain English ports allowing the English to get wool at very low cost.

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Can Capitalistic Countries Grow Their GDP Forever Without Repercussion?

Many folks that question the ultimate end game for a capitalist nation, point to the fact that you cannot grow your GDP forever, and perhaps, you've sided with this argument on occasion. True free market thinkers will tell you that such a notion is nonsense, as an ever evolving business climate can change and find new avenues as innovation continues and that the potential for change and new offshoots is endless.

If you'd like to hear this debate taken to a whole new level leaving very few stones unturned, then I'd sure like to recommend a very good book to you, that will certainly make you think (it's about 600 pages and very comprehensive, well foot noted and researched);

"The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth" by Benjamin M Friedman; Vintage Publishing; (2006); ISBN: 978-1400095711

Very interesting book and thought topic on the subject of economic growth. It discusses the issues of economies on the top of the curve, and how shortages and disruptions are still possible; why large nations and small developing ones experience similar problems. The philosophy in the book is well founded and the arguments rather intriguing too.

The book talks about economic prosperity, GDP, taxation, float, consumer choice, standard of living. The concepts of economies of scale allowing for excesses to pay for the common good, military, social needs, education, etc. are well-defined and the argument for growth over curtailed growth to solve the challenges of civilization.

The author shows how abundance is the best choice and how that can solve the environmental issues associated with mass production better than a socialist economic mindset. He contends that a robust economy provides more choice, better freedom, stronger democracies, cleaner environment and higher standards of living all the way around. He admits that sometimes growth in the past has been problematic in some nations, but that if one has to choose, growth is a far better choice for all concerned.

Lance Winslow - Lance Winslow's Bio Lance Winslow is also Founder of the Car Wash Guys, a cool little Franchise Company; http://www.carwashguys.com/history/founder.html

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Book Review - Flat World, Big Gaps - Economic Liberalization, Globalization, Poverty and Inequality

The position advanced by the authors of this book represent a shift from the dominant view in neo-liberal economic circles that economic liberalization and globalization are good for economic growth, poverty alleviation and reducing inequality in society. The authors argue that instead of closing the gaps created by poverty and inequality between countries and within societies, economic liberalization and globalization have made the situation worse. To substantiate their arguments, the authors draw richly from various case studies ranging from Eastern Europe, Latin America, Middle East, East Asia to Africa. The plethora of case studies presented makes this book unique, and exciting to read as it offers the reader the opportunity to search for the evidence themselves to test the validity of the arguments posited. Furthermore, the inclusion of a useful list of tables and figures in the beginning of the book makes it easy to find information that the reader may be urgently looking for a specific use without having to browse through the pages e.g. rates of poverty per region, global Gini coefficients and other useful information.

The book shows that contrary to conventional neo-liberal wisdom that globalization creates opportunities and opens market for countries; it aggravates inequality which the authors attribute to inter-national (globalization) rather than intra-national disparities. The book further shows that the advent of globalization has not brought any improvement in terms of addressing inequality and poverty rates, instead the conditions appear to have worsened. Countries' commitment to social spending has been negatively affected as a result of slow economic growth associated with globalization.

Avoiding being trapped in theoretical deliberations, this book presents a realistic picture of a world which is supported by hard facts on the impact of economic liberalization and globalization. Worth noting is that the issues that the books raise are not necessarily new as other authors have raised them before. However, this book goes a step further to present comprehensive evidence from a myriad of authors. The book therefore gives the reader a sanctuary from which he/she can critical reflect on the developments in the world today without being clouded by neo-liberal propaganda which blindly accepts that economic liberalization and globalization are good for development and creating an equal world. The recent anti-globalization movements throughout the world symbolizes a rise of a giant wave of dissatisfaction among the economical marginalized.

Finally, it is clear that although globalization may have created a world with integrated systems which makes it easier for people to interact and conduct business, it has however created gaps in terms of poverty and inequality. In other words, economic liberalization and globalization has done nothing to close the gaps but instead they have 'globalize inequality'. It is a source worth reading, especially for those who want to understand the impact of globalization and economic liberalization on poverty and inequality.

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Maxed Out

Although I usually try to write a review soon after finishing the book, I actually had to wait quite awhile to write this one. Frankly, the reason came down to a strong difference of opinion on a minor portion of the book. Still the author does an excellent job of presenting his case, and - other than the aforementioned difference - provided an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

I came to this book after listening to Dave Ramsey, debt-free guru, promote the movie of a similar name. When I searched the local library for the movie, I learned that the book also existed! Perhaps that is why the difference was so great - the author seems to take great pains to smack Ramsey over the head with some twisted up differences. The one that stuck the most to me was the false portrayal of why Ramsey recommends ordering your credit report on an annual basis. Scurlock rants about how other folks suggest ordering the report so you can clean up problems and then go further into debt, and he implies this is Ramsey's reason, as well. But as anyone who listens to Dave knows, the only reason he suggests ordering it is to make sure that you've cleaned up ALL of your debts, including those pesky old college-day hangeroners.

And, incidentally and on a side note, if someone is hiding a debt of several thousand dollars from their husband, they aren't going to suicide because the of credit report. They are going to suicide because they have the guilt and shame of a gambling addiction. To lay that at Dave's feet is, in my opinion, ludicrous.

With that said - and I had to say it, I tried hard not to, but hey, I had to say it - I enjoyed much of the information given in the rest of the book (although I wondered what else might be manipulated). None of it was new to me because I've already followed Dave's advice and ditched all debt other than my home (which I'm working on paying off), but it was interestingly packaged. I felt it would be thought provoking to those who are unfamiliar with the ideas.

The writing was clear and strong, although I'm not so sure the book itself went anywhere. There didn't seem to be a progression as much as a slew of interesting facts and stories. Still, I was expecting a dry and academic read, and was surprised to find the book to be a page turner. Overall, it was very enjoyable.

But it did make me wonder if Dave knows just how badly he got slammed, after providing free advertising for the movie over the course of several months...

Nola Redd is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Creative Writing Visit her online bookstore, Redd's Read Books to find something else great to read!

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Freakonomics - A Journey on Challenging Conventional Wisdom Through Economics

Reading a book about economics is probably good for anyone in today's business world or for myself, a small business coach. Yet, the authors, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, of Freakonomics provided their readers a lot more than just numbers.

The first hook that I received was how the authors defined morality and economics. Not, I am not going to share those definitions with you. You need to buy the book or check the book out at the local library.

Then the authors proceeded to connect seemingly unrelated events through 6 chapters from What Do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common? to What Makes a Perfect Parent? using the science of measurement. These are not your standard economic topics by conventional wisdom. Their efforts reminded me of the Connections television series hosted by James Burke (science historian) that debuted in the late 1970's.

What the authors accomplished for me was:

To confirm through some unique examples that we as human beings have a tendency to confuse cause and effectTo look beyond the accepted conventional wisdom with a different perspective by asking the unasked questions

In far warning, part of this book might be viewed quite negatively by some readers. The authors did their best to balance their findings against anticipated moral outrage.

Again, conventional wisdom many times has us throwing out the baby with the bath water. Levitt and Dubner are asking you to question what you truly know against what you have been told. You may not agree with their findings, but the process of open and honest questioning should be the conventional wisdom within every individual.

Are you where you want to be? The M.A.P. for Success, a FREE email course may help you begin to chart a course of business, professional or personal success. Visit http://www.processspecialist.com/action-plan.htm.

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Leanne Hoagland-Smith, chief customer officer, helps organizations through business training coaching services to return to the purpose of business that being building ravings fans while increasing productivity and profitability. With offices in Chicago, Indianapolis and colleagues nationwide, she can help you become the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits. Call 219.759.5601 to schedule a free business coaching consultation.

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Global Trade and the History of the Wheels of Commerce Considered - A Book Review

How much do you really know about the history of economics and free trade? I feel as if I know more than 99% of the people on the planet, but perhaps that's because I've studied a three-part volume entitled the wheels of commerce. I think you should pick up a set for yourself. If you'd like to learn more let me explain what I mean and describe to you what's in volume 2 as an example;

"The Wheels of Commerce - Civilization and Capitalism; 15th through 18th Century, Volume 2" by Ferdinand Braudel, 1979.

The 15th and 18th Century is when capitalism really took off. In this particular second volume we see the slow evolution towards what we consider today to be economics. The first volume explained how "economic life" started and how using a unit of trade increased and individual's, or family's quality-of-life. Now, in this volume we see how cross roads became trading points for villages, towns, and cities and how the wheels of commerce started turning.

Indeed, this is a tale of economic history; how capitalism and trading changed everything forever. How free and open markets with shops, distributors, traders, dealers, salesmen, bankers, and even what might now be considered a stock market in Amsterdam were only the beginning. This book tells of the London Royal Exchange, French and Dutch banking, and the exchanges of paper money and distribution in China, bankers and India, and the ships that distributing goods, and those using the silk Roads all participated in what we consider today to be global trade.

The book explains merchants and trading circuits, and self-regulating markets. During this time were the first uses of the words; capital, capitalist, capitalism. It is interesting that most economic textbooks have a brief chapter or two perhaps on how it all got started, but it is very interesting to read a huge three volumes set of books on the subject. It's amazing to me that we do not teach economics as we used to in the schools, and I bet if we did, we wouldn't have the types of economic crisis as we do today. I hope you please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes in economics.

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Feeling Dumber By The Minute - A Review of "Dumbing Us Down"

The book that is the subject of this review is John Taylor Gatto's Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling. It is a collection of several essays and speeches written by the author, who is an advocate of reforming the American educational system.

Gatto's basic premise is that our schools do exactly what they were designed to do, and they do it brilliantly. Unfortunately, though, schools have not been designed to educate anyone; on the contrary, they are designed to churn out mass production citizens, much like an assembly line can mass produce cars that are nearly identical in their finished products. This process does not call for the education of students -- it simply calls for their imprisonment in the school system for hours a day, along with a continuance of school in the form of homework and television. In fact, Gatto also includes modern television programming as contributing to the false education that masquerades as "schooling."

Instead of receiving an actual education, students of schools follow a different kind of lesson plan. Some of the lessons they learn include confusion, class position, indifference, emotional dependency, intellectual dependency, provisional self-esteem, and the fact that students can not hide. This education results in graduates who have never been given the time to develop an individual personality, can not self-reflect, and whose self-esteem and self-confidence are completely based on external factors, such as grades, gold stars, or a positive performance review by a superior. The constantly ringing bells of school to signal a period change also result in students being taught that nothing in life is worth finishing, so nothing is worth starting. It is simply better to accept one's place, even though no one can quite understand why the place has been given to them, or what they are supposed to do with it if no one tells them what to do.

The author also argues that the modern school system creates psychological problems in students, who end up with a life full of dependency and aimlessness. The products of school, according to Gatto, are indifferent to the adult world and refuse to grow up, have very little curiosity, a poor sense of the future, a poor sense of the past, a mean streak directed at other students, teachers, and others, uneasy with any situation requiring intimacy, materialistic, and unable to handle new challenges. Of course, these problems make students the perfect product needed in an economy founded on mass production and cheap labor.

In terms of solutions, Gatto recommends homeschooling with a focus on family and community involvement. Schools, social clubs, and professional organizations, because they are merely networks, will not be able to replace a child's community and family life. No matter how many networks a person has, these will not meet a person's emotional needs. Gatto gives the example of asking the reader how quickly they began forgetting the names of classmates, teammates, or fellow club members, and comparing that with the number of aunts and uncles the reader has forgotten. This is designed to reinforce the idea that ties of family and community are more important to an individual's individuality than loose bonds associated with most networks.

Gatto's conclusion is that there is no right way to educate people as a whole. They need to educate themselves, find their own interests, and develop their own internal processes. Mass schooling will only result in more mass people, who are controlled by mass media and work in an economy that requires mass obedience to menial jobs. Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling details the problems and solutions to the widespread psychological problems of numerous members of society, and pins the blame squarely on the insight that mass production students, who have weak family and community ties and are always competing for a "good grade" from a superior, who are lonely, desperate, and unhappy, lacking the experiences of educating themselves and indifferent to almost everything except their present environment, are the perfect finished product of schooling. As Gatto emphasizes, "education and schooling are, as we all have experienced, mutually exclusive terms."

The ForeclosureFish.com website has been set up to provide homeowners with free foreclosure advice that they can use to learn how to stop foreclosure on their own. Numerous online resources include a daily-updated foreclosure blog, explanations of possible ways to save a home from foreclosure, and numerous reference materials to educate foreclosure victims. The site also helps homeowners understand the broader context of their foreclosure situation, by providing relevent news analysis, occasional book reviews, and explanations of the overall impact that foreclosure has in the economy. Visit their site today for a high-quality e-book on the variety of ways to stop foreclosure: http://www.foreclosurefish.com/

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Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is a Must Read

The Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins is a must read for all workers. It proves workers do not have a voice in the process of Globalization and Free Trade. It is a testimony of a man who thought he had it all until he realized how people are sacrficed at the altar of greed. Almost twenty years ago another man came forward too. Sir James Goldsmith wrote The Trap. As a highly successful corporate raider, he was best known for his raiding of BF Goodrich. He would find weak companies and try to take them over for pennies on the dollar. Then one day he realized what he was doing was not a good thing for society. He converted to a Populist Activist. He was active in France and England before he died dedicated to restoring local value added economies in the world.

It is time to prepare for the post-Globalization era. Free Trade is the tool of Globalization. It now has a long history of failures dating back as far as 1956 when the U.S. Federal Goverment first sponsored the moving of production and factories outside the USA. This evolved into the Maquiladora factory programs which now have more than a thirty year history of failures. The Mexican workers are still flocking to the USA seeking economic survival. Since NAFTA was passed the number of factories moved to Mexico have doubled and now NAFTA and GATT trade agreements have more than fourteen years of failures. It is obvious this chaos can not continue.

In the USA a working poor class has replaced a working middle class. Hurricane Katrina exposed a vast underclass in the USA living in a silent depression. These workers do not make enough money to support Globalization and Free Trade and an the upper class in the USA is not large enough to support it either. Pay back time has come with one of the lighting strikes being on home ownership. Foreclosures are breaking all records. Mayor Jackson in Cleveland Ohio is suing more than dozen home mortgage investors and banks. He calls what the did a white collar crime. His actions may prompt a class action suite. We had many warning signs while those in power and small upper class was enjoying the rewards. They have rode the horse of Globalization and Free Trade but now that horse is worn out and will not reach the finish line. It is over.

John Perkins steps forward to tell us his confession as an EHM ( Economic Hit Man ) who thought he was doing everything the right way but found he was being used by powers behind the World Bank. He found he betrayed the common man and the common good and God gave him the power to confess his mistakes. He was sent out as an Economist to set up nations around the world in a scheme of schemes by external powers outside the will of the people in the USA and other countries.

In the preface of his book, he says,
"Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. They funnel money from the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAIS), and other foreign "aid" organizations into the coffers of huge corporations and the pockets of a few wealthy families who control the planet's natural resources. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex and murder. They play a game as old as empire, but one that has taken on new terrifying dimenisions during this time of globalization."
--- " I should know; I was an EHM. "
You can get The Confessions of an Economic Hit Man at your public library. Read it before you vote.
Reference http://www.bizarrepolitics.com/confessions-for-history

Ray Tapajna is the editor and artist at Tapart News and Art that Talks at http://tapsearchnewsmobile.filetap.com/ mobile user friendly summary and http://tapsearch.com/flatworld His sites and articles are really all about you in the global economic arena and asks, who said we had to compete like this in the Free Trade world where the real commodities are workers. You can explore the losts worlds in the Globalist Free Trade Flat World of Thomas Friedman from the New York Times, the Clintons and the Bush families. It is the New World Order or is it the New World Dis-Order.

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Fault Lines - How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten The World Economy

Theses culprits are none other than greedy bankers, sleepy regulators and irresponsible borrowers whose individual choices that collectively brought about the economic meltdown.

Raghuram Rajan was one of the few economists who warned the world of the global financial crisis before it even hit. In the book Rajan warns us of the serious flaws in the economy that need to be fixed to prevent potentially more devastating crisis that awaits us. According to Rajan there were two main causes that led to initial breakdown-One was stagnant wages and the other was growing inequality in the U.S.

All this led to the reduced purchasing power of many middle class households which gave birth to an urgent demand for credit. The financial industry that had already gained encouragement from the government responded back by supplying home equity loans, subprime mortgages and auto loans. Most economists had failed to consider that the side effects of this unrestrained credit growth would turn out to be more devastating.

Raghuram writings are always well reasoned and based on sound set of facts. While the book is worth it even for the explanation of why we had a crisis and is even the most thought provoking contribution in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Readers will find that the book is full of great examples and cases and will certainly question some long held biases about current economic conditions in western countries.

Raghuram in his book also lays out some common patterns of global economic behavior in households, markets and governments and shows that when economic conditions become so demanding the difference of behavior between developed and developing countries becomes negligible.

Jenny is an online marketing professional, who keeps on researching on how various businesses are using online marketing for their advantages. He often shares his research and understanding through his articles and blogs.
He is currently researching on the global book industry and finding out the best resource to procure and buy books. To buy books online, he tests the usability factors associated with the online bookstores. Based on his real life experiences he would be contributing some of the articles for various resources to procure and buy books.

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How to Judge Your Purchases Today

Reading is my one true passion. When I was young, I dreamed of better places. Places where all things were possible where all dreams came true. I read a book called ''Jericho'' published around early 60s and learned about people in difficult times. Books about Science, in the fields Biology, Geology & Earth Sciences. Science Fiction was always my favorite. The works of H.G. Wells, Huxley and Ray Bradbery fascinated me. Reading opened whole new worlds for me.

I recently went to a book store with my son looking for books he needed for University. Expensive books(shudder). While I was walking around the store looking at a variety of tiles and subject areas, I spotted an unusual cover a spilled coffee cup. Reading the upside-down writing on the cup it said '' This Coffee is Expensive''.  Okay, So why was it spilled ? Curiosity Plus 1 the  first step in my buying process. My next step is the back cover, endorsements from two well establish newspapers and 2 very well known writers told me I needed to read this book.

Title: The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford  ISBN 978-0-349-11985-4  I was amazed and fascinated by what he was telling me. How branding works. How pricing works. Economics why it works and why it does not work in one book!!. A Must Read for everyone given the current economic crisis. Explains in simple everyday words how big and small companies work. Economics !0! for everyone. Why some prices are high and low. Do you have to buy or should you buy at all. Shortages are they real, imagined or just something you are lead to believe is true. Time to take a serious look at all marketing practices.

Are we asking the right questions of our governments. Should oil futures be fixed? Who bought the oil futures that lead up this crisis? Where did they get the money to purchase them? Is there really a shortage of oil as we have been lead to believe or is it just bigger profits for the o1l companies. Supply and demand some might say or are they just being paid to say that by big oil companys to boast profits. Maybe I think to much but these are real questions everyone needs to be asking

Maybe reading this book is not right for you. I read it in one night and will read it again and again. Then I will give it to my son and scream at him until he reads it.

Well enough for today.

Books books and more books
Visit http://www.zapphunt.com/ - our e-store has a wide range books in all areas.

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China's Future in the World - Book Review

Many of those who study world affairs, international politics, and perhaps, read Foreign Affairs magazine each month; they understand that the biggest new development and for the next two decades will be the rapid economic growth of China. The United States has been fueling the Chinese build-up as their GDP has hit the number three spot in the world and slightly slipped back to number four, although it will soon pass both Japan and Germany in GDP.

Most of those looking at all this wonder how long it will take for China to become the second Super Power along side of the US. These folks are obviously concerned with China's international behavior. So, for those folks, I'd sure like to recommend a very good book to you;

"China's International Behavior; Activism, Opportunism, and Diversification" by Evan S. Medeiros, Report Prepared for the United States Air Force in conjunction with the Rand Corporation; Santa Monica, CA, 2009; ISBN 978-0-8330-4709-0 (279 pages).

One interesting quote that must be noted was this paragraph;

The scope of China's military exchanges is growing. According to China's 2008 national defense white paper:

China has established military ties with over 150 countries, and has military attache offices in 109 countries. A total of 98 countries have military attach offices in China. In the past two years [2006-2008] senior PLA delegations have visited more than 40 countries, and defense ministers and chiefs of the general staff from more than 60 countries have visited China."

Of course, China's military is only one topic, and one that was barely discussed in this book, as this book focuses on the needs of the that nation, the alliances it is making, and the trading partners it is bringing on-board. I'd recommend this work for anyone whose serious about studying the future of China.

Lance Winslow - Lance Winslow's Bio. Lance Winslow thinks you should call someone in China using your phone

Note: All of Lance Winslow's articles are written by him, not by Automated Software, any Computer Program, or Artificially Intelligent Software. None of his articles are outsourced, PLR Content or written by ghost writers. Lance Winslow believes those who use these strategies lack integrity and mislead the reader. Indeed, those who use such cheating tools, crutches, and tricks of the trade may even be breaking the law by misleading the consumer and misrepresenting themselves in online marketing, which he finds completely unacceptable.

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Book Revew - The Age of Turbulance by Alan Greenspan

The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World written by Alan Greenspan is the frank and entertaining memoirs of this notable figure in American economic history. It would be an ever better read if Greenspan's were more able to be as forthright and penetrating about himself as he is about others.

Alan Greenspan was born in 1926 and he was raised in Washington Heights, NY. In 1944 a draft board in central New York rejected Greenspan, then a recent high school graduate, because he had a spot on his lung that looked like it might be tuberculosis. When the war ended Greenspan attended Columbia University where he studied Economics. Greenspan had a very detail oriented view of life and economics during his educational years. He never seemed happier than when pouring over economic indicators that allow him to predict everything from the 1958 steel recession to the 1990s boom. "My early training was to immerse myself in extensive detail in the workings of some small part of the world and to infer from that detail the way that segment of the world behaves. That is the process I have applied throughout my career," he writes.

Like his father Mr. Greenspan made his way to Wall Street, where he ran a consulting business that forecast the economy. He was doing quite nicely there when Martin Anderson asked if Greenspan wanted to join Richard Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign. Except for Jimmy Carter, Greenspan has worked with every president since 1969, and in the book he offers a fairly blunt critique of each.

Gerald Ford was by far Greenspan's favorite President. "He always understood what he knew and what he didn't know," Greenspan writes. Despite their ideological differences, Bill Clinton ranked second, thanks to his "consistent, disciplined focus on long-term economic growth." Nixon, Reagan and George H. W. Bush each receive a mixture of praise and criticism. Only the current President George W. Bush goes without receiving credit for a single significant accomplishment.

"The Age of Turbulence" is actually two books in one.

The first 250 or so pages are a standard autobiography that tells us who Greenspan is. This is the part of the bookthat will appeal to thebulk of readers who are not economists themselves. There are numerous wonderful stories in this section of the book. Greenspan reminisces about his early days as a professional-caliber jazz clarinetist in New York in the 1950s, playing his sets and then reading his economics books during the breaks while fellow musicians go backstage to party and get high. Of himself as a 26-year-old "math junkie" who got knocked back on his heels by his philosophical guru, Ayn Rand. Of himself as an economic advisor trying to educate, serve and guide Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton and Bush II. (Nixon wasn't just anti-Semitic, Greenspan tells us, but anti-everyone: "I don't know anybody he was pro."). Or, the story about inviting NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell (now Mrs. Greenspan) to his apartment to read his essay on monopolies.

The second book is Greenspan's account of public policy. Greenspan's oft-quoted criticism -- that current Republican office holders "deserve to lose" elections because they sold their principles for power and "ended up with neither" -- should come as no surprise. Yet recent stories have relentlessly reported selected phrases from the new book as "unusually harsh criticism [of] President Bush and the Republican Party" for abandoning "the central conservative principle of fiscal restraint."

I recommend this book to those people who want a better insight into the mind of the most famous economic planner of our time or those who want to better understanding Greenspan's unique and often critical political views.

Michael Thompson is an Internet author and publisher. For a list of the current best selling books in a variety of categories and reviews of each of these books visit Michael's website at: [http://ukandoit.us/BookReviews/BestSelersLists.html]

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70 Million Baby Boomers, Eh? Sounds Like Opportunity to Me!

Folks have been talking about the paradigm shift coming to the United States as the Baby Boomers grow older and retire. Social Security will soon collapse, it was scheduled for 2042, but it will occur a decade sooner. When social security was really working well, 17 people were working for every 1 person in retirement, good stuff, no problems. But in a less than a decade there will be one retired person and only 1.9 people for each still working. Obviously, that is not going to work out mathematically.

Many have talked about what is to come, and it has already happened in Japan with their post economic boom. With an aging population, the workforce is having trouble holding up the economic expansion and with zero growth, it is tough to supply the needs of the civilization. Europe is next and then the US after that. Brilliant minds like Ken Dychwald have been discussing this for years.

There is also an interesting book out now called; Futurecast" by Robert Shapiro, which is a remake of all the previous studies, research and works on this subject. Having read all the data on demographics and this coming shift, I do recommend the folks above, but would also like to recommend another economic book on this topic:

"Boom, Bust & Echo; How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Shift" By David K. Foot with Daniel Stoffman; Macfarlane, Walter & Ross, Toronto, Canada; 1996.

He discusses real estate crisis, investing issues, social security problems, retail sales, manufacturing problems, retirees younger longer and how our retirement cities will grow and be so much different than the past. He discusses the crisis in Health Care, which we are now seeing over a decade later, all great predictions, he did not miss any and there are a few more to come too.

He speaks to the Canadian problems that mimic the US population and what it means to our Northern neighbors. The appendix is a lot of data that will scare the bejesus out of any leader or economists trying to figure out how to fix the problem. You need to read this book, it's a quick one, only 210 pages, but it will blow you away.

"Lance Winslow" - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

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Considering Economics and Financial Measures in Turbulent Times

How on Earth could this happen, how come the economy is taking an economic downturn, why did the housing bubble burst and who are we to blame (this time)? Well, indeed those are all excellent questions and you will get a mixed basket of answers from various economists, still, without a better understanding of these issues, it probably will not make much sense to you.

Economic Business Cycles are part of the flow of the financial world, nation's economies and industry sectors. Sometimes the gambling casino we call the stock market seems to be at odds with reality, and we see false positives. Here, let me illustrate my point; read this book:

"The Handbook of Economic and Financial Measures" by Frank J. Fabozzi and Harry I. Greenfield - 1984.

This book is perfect for journalists, investors, economists, attorneys, financial planners, bankers, business owners, corporate executives, politicians, decision makers, MBA students, and you. Once you read this book you will never be lost with terms such as inflation, stagflation, deflation, GNP, GDP, trade deficits, government deficit, business cycles, business capitalization, stock market, sector rotations and you will be able to follow along quite nicely when the Fed Chairman is giving his opinion of the state of the US economy to congress.

In fact, I recommend this handbook for anyone who is serious about their financial future and the decisions they make. Judging by the enormous amount of debt that consumers have, it appears that we need financial literacy courses when folks end high school. And yes our politicians could sure use a bit of education on their spendthrift ways as well. But, if you own or run a business, then you ought to know a thing or two about economics, so for you I very much recommend this book.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Blog Content Service. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance Winslow's Bio

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Confessions of a Mortgage Insider

Have you wondered why the mortgage and banking industry are in their current shape of disarray? Did you ever wonder how some people managed to get something for nothing and leave us the average tax payer footing the bill? Are you curious why the once respectable mortgage industry became so corrupt and brought the US economy so quickly to its knees?

Denny Andrew's first book, Confessions of a Mortgage Insider, explores how the mortgage brokerage industry went into a spiraling failure that resulted in a complete meltdown of epidemic proportions. Confessions of a Mortgage Insider uncovers more than the excesses of the industry. It explores the people and personalities of those who worked in the industry through the personal stories of leaders, followers, slimy wheeler-dealers, and the victims. It tells the story through the eyes of mortgage broker Rick Agnew. Agnew goes from naive freshman loan application agent to a diamond level broker whose life is filled with fast cars, fast women and fast parties. His up close and personal experiences with the industry open his eyes to the rampant fraud and chicanery of the industry.

Part story collection, part instruction, and part personal discovery, Andrew's book is a fun and interesting book that makes you angry with the money lust of the brokers, makes you cry for those who are victimized, and laugh at the antics of Rick Agnew the half man/half naughty child protagonist. Using illustrative stories and hilarious hi-jinx this book instructs even the most casual reader on the dangers of the current mortgage failure to the housing market. This book can be that 'tell all' source the casual reader has been seeking to establish some sanity from the current economic crisis in the mortgage industry.

Confessions of a Mortgage Insider prompts the reader to really assess where they are currently in their mortgage and financial stability and then to make a specific plan to get where they want to be. Living in the house of your dreams is not just a wish if you plan carefully and shop wisely for a mortgage and a mortgage broker, according to Andrews. The American dream is not over...it has just become something that once again is only realized through hard work and a good savings plan.

The mortgage bubble has been broken and according to Denny Andrews, it is not a bad thing that the party is over. His exposure of the ugly secrets of such a sleekly designed profiteering machine clearly illustrates the symptoms of our society's pervasive illness: excess. This fast moving book encourages responsible lending and commanding the life choices that promotes accountability and fiduciary common sense. Andrews captures the madness and mayhem through his original stories and then provides sound business advice that everyone can understand.

Title: Confessions of a Mortgage Insider Author: Denny Andrews Publisher: Aviva Publishing Date: 2008 Price: 24.95

Shannon Evans is recognized in the Puget Sound as an expert in how to make your business have a web presence rather than just a web page. Her conversational marketing techniques and practices outlined by Practical Local Search, LLC you will see your small business presence on the web increase: http://www.practicallocalsearch.com/ She is a consultant for social marketing campaigns that allow you to organize your marketing and sales efforts in an inexpensive delivery platform that is easy to set up and manage. The ability to send, deliver, and track any installed resource gives you the power to create a marketing program quickly and easily in a scalable format that can grow with your business.

Shannon is also a co-author of Get Found Now! Local Search Secrets Exposed: Learn How to Achieve High Rankings in Google, Yahoo and Bing and multiple business ebooks. Her books teach entrepreneurs how to leverage the internet to attract new clients. Shannon has a wide and varied background in both the practical and the pragmatic aspects of the business world. Shannon loves nothing better than teaching local businesses how to think globally and to be searched locally.

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Freakonomics, a Book Review

If the thought of a book on economics is about as exciting as watching your toenails grow, or you are under-whelmed with statistics and number crunching theory, then the bestselling book Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything just might be the book to make you wake up without that extra cup of Starbucks' best. Actually, Freakonomics is an engaging read because it seems to be more about sociology and psychology than boring numerical analysis. With its well-paced and easy reading style, this book shows how the resulting correlation and causality of data impacts our lives and definitely makes us think differently about facts and figures. The authors, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, contend, "What this book is about is stripping a layer or two from modern life and seeing what is happening underneath," exposing why conventional wisdom is so often wrong. In effect, there are real tangible benefits in thinking laterally. To be sure, their seemingly off-the-wall comparisons are definitely attention grabbers. Who would have ever thought to make the unlikely comparison of teachers and sumo wrestlers to show that economics is, in essence, the study of incentives. But for those of you who desire a smooth flowing book, with multiple concepts building to an ultimate conclusion, you might be disappointed. Actually, the book presents six wholly different topics, with no unifying theme. And while Freakonomics does jump seemingly randomly from question to question, there are some lessons to be learned. For example, the book demonstrates that the most obvious reason why something happens is not always the real reason. To be sure, sometimes the real reason doesn't even make the list of possibilities. Or, as is often true in the case studies given in Freakonomics, the cause turns out not to be the cause at all, but the effect.

Perhaps the most hard-hitting and controversial riddle tackled by Freakonomics explores the cause of the dramatic drop in the U.S. crime rate in the chapter "Where Have All the Criminals Gone?" The book explains that by the 1990s violent crime had grown to epic proportions in the United States. Experts everywhere, from law enforcement to government agencies could only predict that it would get worse. The American way had somehow produced and coined the term "superpredator." "Death by gunfire", intentional and otherwise, had become commonplace. And then, instead of going up, the crime rate suddenly started to drop profoundly- by over 40 percent in just a few years. By studying crime statistics from all over the country in comparison with abortion statistics in the era after the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, Freakonomics arrives at a startling conclusion. The book submits that the highly publicized drop in America's violent crime rate since 1990 is due almost entirely to legalized abortion, rather than better police work, new gun laws, or any of a number of other factors put forward by agencies of all stripes eager to take credit for it. Although the authors concede they have "managed to offend just about everyone," from conservatives, (because "abortion could be construed as a crime-fighting tool") to liberals, (because "the poor and black women were singled out"), they stick strictly to the evidence, admitting that this view "should not be misinterpreted as either an endorsement of abortion or a call for intervention by the state in the fertility decisions of women." The book verifies its conclusion by consistently dismantling argument after argument for the other touted factors and keeps returning to the cause and effect of evidence at hand. After all, the "truth" as the authors see it, is not always convenient.

The other topics explored in Freakonomics, while not as controversial, are equally interesting. In fact, some could be considered amusing. If you are looking to spruce up you intellect for the next cocktail party, or widen your eyes to the world around you, then this book is a necessary read. However, what might be considered a turnoff by some is the annoying insertion of quotations from external sources about how innovative or creative the authors are as a precursor to every chapter. That being said, it is refreshing to have an odd economist, or at least an economist who ask odd questions to tease out the most fascinating facts concerning the mysteries of the world around us.

One word of advice: don't buy this book in paperback. At the list price of $25.00, it rings up at only 95 cents cheaper than the hardback book, which is a much more attractive and sturdy volume. Plus, because the hardback has been available for much longer, you can actually find the hardback for significantly cheaper (more than $7) if you search a few bookstores.

After almost a year in publication, Freakonomics continues to make the bestseller lists, currently holding (at the time of writing this review) the much vaunted Amazon #1 seller position. If nothing else, that is an important statistic to keep in mind.

John Woolf is the founder of several successful Internet technology companies including the Book Price Comparison website CompareBook.com. As a pragmatist of the world around him, he is both a critic and crusader on international politics and energy policy as it relates to our security and our impact on the global environment.

Visit CompareBook.com to read reviews, find similar titles, and search for the lowest possible price for Freakonomics [http://www.comparebook.com/review/Freakonomics_006073132X.html] and other great books.

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Is This a Housing Crisis Or a Financial Crisis?

One built the other, I would say and it was then encouraged by still other factors. Many people are apt to tell you that this is not a worldwide problem and was created in the United States. Yes, our government contributed to the problem but greed by owners and investors was the main cause after inflating prices. The out of control housing costs caused this financial situation. It definitely is a world wide financial crisis caused by an overinflated real estate market that has spread over nearly the entire globe. European realty costs are as inflated as American pricing.

Real Estate locations all over the world have seen unprecedented market prices that had never previously been reached. Property from Ireland to Russia as well as Eastern Europe went way out of control as did pricing in places like Australia and the Far East. Possibly greed is more a human condition than just something that occurs in America. If the cause began in the US, investors and property owners went along with it everywhere else. They were just as happy to go along for the ride and line their pockets like everyone else. Profit is never left on the table for long. Regulation in other countries may not have been solidly in place as well as at home in this country.

This crisis was constructed from such a long stretch of increasing inflated costs just about everywhere. There wasn't a sign of a possible correction for this run away train and it was allowed to go haywire. It jumped the track and rolled over a few times. Most intelligent people and economists especially, could see that at some point, this expanding unstoppable bubble would have to burst eventually. Many of these same people believed it wouldn't happen for a few more years and it wasn't their problem anyway. Many modern day speculators turned to the real estate market for investment. It was more reliable than the stock market and their change of profit required less risk.

Banks and investment houses were involved in increasing the problem merely by encouraging the borrowing of money against the equity in people's homes. Some businesses like special realty mortgage companies were created just for the purpose of buying and selling mortgages. Their main function was to do nothing but the refinancing of properties and this was their line of expertise. These businesses became a whole new industry unlike anything we had seen it the past. People were encouraged to refinance loans at low interest rates and take their profits to spend on travel, investment or anything that caught their fancy. So, homeowners would just take the money out and spend, spend, spend. The money financed cars, toys, computers and boats.

There was no end in sight. The money provided by banks and financial organizations should have gone into housing enhancements but did not. This seemingly free money did not go into renovations or expansion of the properties to be quite frank. Once in a while, some people did the right thing and did the housing renovations but they were not required to by these banking institutions that had few rules. It was no rules, just right! Where there is no control, there is bound to be corruption and the rest is history.

Even the government got into the task of encouraging banks and lending institutions to relax their loan requirements and policies so more people could own homes. They sought perfection in an imperfect word. Put all the poor people that couldn't afford home ownership into their own places. Many individuals that were not adequately qualified or could not hope to repay those loans were given the ultimate opportunity to purchase their dream house and enter the housing market. They would now be a proud owner and could move out of their rental units. The government, in addition to these relaxed banking regulations, had encouraged ownership thus helping the housing industry to go further out of control. Some of the regulations that were relaxed had been put into operation long ago following the great depression of 1929. This was the crash of 1929 that our parents and grandparents may have told you about.

In those days, they had suffered so badly that they didn't ever want that financial crisis to ever rear its ugly head again. They had known the sacrifice brought on by mismanagement of financial assets in an earlier time. Did we forget about that historical masterpiece? Well, history always seems to repeat itself, doesn't it? We should never ever let our guard down again. By removing regulations or at least relaxing them, has helped this bad situation to re-emerge from its entombment.

The current housing market and now its realignment had built the very basis for this current financial meltdown. Human greed and government interference have spun the wheels to new heights. Hopefully, we can get our priorities straightened out and the necessary regulations back in place. Many years from now, I'm sure it will happen again but for now let's get our house in order.

John Sprague is an American currently working in the mideast. He enjoys writing and working on his websites in his free time. He has a new site at http://www.marketingkindreds.com/

His website has photos of the mideast and marketing articles that you may want to view.

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Economics for South African Students Price

For the economy to make progress (stabilize) there are certain things that must be done. There are several things that can be done. You can even get books that will help you familiarize yourself with those things. Read on to get the Economics for South African students price.

A number of books have been written to help stabilize the economy. This one is among the many books that are sold out there. If you want to get more information then go through the following article.

The Economics for South African students price is about R353.35. This book has a high customer rate which shows that it is really helpful. Its authors are Philip Mohr and Louis Fourie. The third edition is made for business and economics. Its price is about R135.00. The fourth edition is made for business and economics. It is classified under economics and management sciences. It has an introduction of economics, the bases and a close look at the economics dilemma.

It will take you through the problems and the solutions that you can apply. It will simply talk about the economy; the business and monetary section. This book is usually used in universities by economics and business students. You can carry this book around since it has 534 pages and weighs 1095g. It has a width of one hundred and ninety mm and a length of two hundred and sixty mm.

Since the Economics for South African students price is low, just about anyone can get it. If you want more data about this item or want to see the item, you can go to Shopbot.co.za. You can also go there to view other similar products.

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Is Our Economy a Reality? A Book Review on a Surprising Book of Economic History

If economic theory has always bothered you or if you are a free market thinker or even a socialist intellectual, then there is one book that you can read, no matter who you are that will definitely pique your curiosity. I recommend this currently popular economic book to all:

"False Economy - A Surprising Economic History of the World" by Alan Beattie; Riverhead Books (a Penguin Publishing Group Company); New York, NY; (2009). ISBN 9781594488665.

Author Alan Beattie uses some very interesting and curious examples to explain his assertions and takes the reader through some of the most fascinating historical economic events from around the Globe. There is a great chapter on the economic crisis that hit Argentina, as well as their recovery. He explains the Egyptian challenges with importing their main food supplies.

There is a chapter on the issues with Blood Diamonds and humanity crisis surrounding the normal diamond business. Then he goes into the issues with oil, and the corruption, global politics and challenges they create. Beattie suggests with great fodder that both oil and diamonds maybe more trouble than they are worth. It's a great dialogue and intellectual argument.

There is a chapter on the Islamic world and how religion plays a part in economics and how religious rules on "the borrowing of money" have slowed down their growth. This is not a new argument, but it is very well presented here, you will enjoy the comments immensely, and it is a fair assessment and observation; very much worth reading.

There are several other great chapters that throw economic reality checks on how free markets operate or should. I am very happy to recommend this book to you, it's one that sits on the economic shelf of my personal library. So, please consider this, it will be one of the most interesting books you read all year.

Lance Winslow enjoys community philanthropy - Lance Winslow likes small business. Lance Winslow has also been involved in the Oil Industry; http://www.oilchangeguys.com/aboutus.shtml.

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Gerd Gigerenzer on 'Rules of Thumb'

Orthodox economics asks the question 'What is rational decision-making?' It recommends allocating scarce resources among our competing interests according to how much we value each interest and their probability of being brought about by our choices. By multiplying these together we should get a single ordering of our choices in terms of the subjective value of the outcome that will be brought about, and then we should choose the highest ranked option.

Of course that's not very realistic - humans can't manage to put precise values on our interests or calculate probability accurately. But experiments also revealed that even in simple situations humans deviated significantly from the orthodox theory. Behavioural economics therefore appeared in the economic firmament from the 1980s to ask a quite different question: 'Why do humans make irrational decisions?' That is, they were concerned to identify the systematic cognitive biases inherent in human nature that prevented us from achieving the economic ideal of rationality. If one could map those biases, then one could correct for them and full rationality could be achieved!

Gerd Gigerenzer takes a different approach. He suggests that economists are too concerned with constructing theories for 'small worlds' (with few choices, clear causal mechanisms, easily calculated probabilities - the kind that exist only in theories or experimental set-ups). But the real world is open and pretty chaotic, and there is no reason to presume that a finely crafted decision theory that works in a small world will be at all helpful for making good decisions in the real world. So his question is 'How do humans make decisions?' And his answer is that we employ heuristics ('rules of thumb') which are very simple and only consider part of the information available. His argument is that less can often be more because the real world is so uncertain (radically unpredictable) that basing decisions on all the information available is not only technically infeasible but may also lead to worse predictions than merely focussing on a tiny set of salient information.

Gigerenzer's new book 'Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious' is peppered with well-rehearsed and fascinating anecdotes supporting this role for heuristics. To name just one, Harry Markowitz won a Nobel prize for proving a very complex theory of optimal investment portfolio management, yet when he made his own retirement investments he used the simple 1/n rule of equal investment in each kind of asset. (Incidentally this simple 1/n rule not only saves on computing time, but also outperforms more complex information-greedy theories in the real world.)

So i) heuristics are not a second best alternative in the real world, ii) they are how we think (since evolution has stuck us with them in any case). But Gigerenzer's heuristics remain somewhat mysterious. They operate at the level of behaviour, reasoning and perception. They can be unconscious reflexes, conscious reflexes (available to introspection), or deliberately chosen (perhaps with the aid of higher level heuristics?). But heuristics can only be considered more or less 'ecologically rational' i.e. effective for certain situations. When they go wrong - with racism for example - or conflict, there seems to be some scope for deliberately evaluating, updating and choosing heuristics in the light of their overall efficacy or other concerns. But Gigerenzer's antipathy to the power of reasoning makes him unable or reluctant to explain how this would work.

I'm a philosophy graduate student in the Netherlands. I blog on philosophy at http://thephilosophersbeard.blogspot.com/ and http://philosophymadefun.blogspot.com/

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"Rich Dad Poor Dad" Book Review

Do you have enough money? What would you do if you had enough? What is enough anyway? Do you know how to be a steward of your resources?

How do you think about money? Is money your friend? Or is money and evil lurking around every corner (coming from the belief that money is the root of all evils)? This article is about belief systems that hold us back, keeps us poor and controlled by debt.

Money is just energy. As humans we have the right and responsibility to learn how to use money to our benefit and the benefit of others. You can't be a good steward if you are afraid the thing of that which you are a steward.

In "Rich Dad Poor Dad" Robert T Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter, CPA explore what it is to work with money from the point of view of being rich and the rest of us. That is the beauty of this book. Twenty percent of the population makes eighty percent of the wealth. That is the 80/20 rule. If you are in the 80% making 20% of wealth, you may have judgments about that other group. But have you walked in their shoes?

Kiyosaki tells his story about growing up in a "regular" money household. For most of us we go to school, get an education, get a job, earn money, and pay taxes and the bills. Hopefully we save some money for the kids college and retirement. The masses: some make and have a little money, some eke by and many rely on government entitlements to make it to the grave.

Kiyosaki also tells about his friend's dad who was "rich". He knew how to work with money, play with money concepts, be with money and have money work for him. Kiyosaki had the best of both worlds. He could see where life would take him if he chose to be afraid of money.

He chose to learn about money. This book is about his journey. It is filled with stories as he learned how to make money, as well as stories where he helped others learn about money. Kiyosaki also gives his 10 point plan for getting started and staying on track.

This is a great book. It will give you a great insight on how people with money think and act. Read this book. It can get you thinking about your beliefs about money. There is another side to the money story. You deserve to open yourself to all financial possibilities.

You are worth having a healthy relationship with money. Join my blog, join my journey at http://www.healthworks-lifeworks.com/

Offered by Mary Pat FitzGibbons RN MS writes on leading edge issues for health, thinking and life.

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It's the Equality, Stupid!

Richard Wilkinson's and Kate Pickett's The Spirit Level is an excellent contribution to 'evidence based politics' (something that they note is more prevalent in more equal societies). Their main contribution is to bring existing evidence of statistical correlations and plausible causal mechanisms systematically together, and their inescapable conclusions seem almost commonsensical to the reader as a result. Yes, we did all sort of know all this, but we hadn't put it all together so forcefully.

Political philosophers and others have debated interminably about the relationship between equality, liberty, efficiency and the good society. But Wilkinson and Pickett provide a definitive empirical argument for the salience of equality of incomes for the well-being of a society and its members by tracing the relationship between inequality of incomes within a society and a host of social problems including mental illness (including addiction), murders, infant mortality and life-expectancy, obesity, children's educational performancre, levels of trust, teenage pregnancy, imprisonment, and social mobility. (About the only social problem that is correlated the other way, with increasing equality, is suicide.)

Wilkinson and Pickett look only at the top 20 richest countries to show that relative inequality still leads to poverty and social problems because inequalities in income are never just about money. They are always translated into social hierarchy and inequality, and people behave differently in a more hierarchical society. It even changes our physiology via stress hormones (think obesity) and politics via social distancing (think punitive criminal punishment).

They make a good argument for considering inequality as a kind of pollution that affects an entire society. In more unequal societies it is not only the poor who suffer (though they do suffer most), but every income group including the richest suffer more from these social problems than in more equal societies. Equality is in everyone's interests. It is not depend only on special consideration for the well-being of the poor, as in much welfare state thinking.

From this perspective, much effort to address particular social problems (via investment in policing, education, social work, etc) can be seen as flawed in its conception and unlikely to succeed even in containing the problems it is directed towards. This is comparable to public health. The health care system is incredibly expensive and goes around treating individuals' particular medical problems. But all that spending and attention (especially at the terminal hospital treatment stage) has made only a tiny contribution to our increased longevity compared to the cheap and basic preventative investments in sanitation and vaccination. The lesson is clear: politics should address the root cause of these problems - inequality of income - rather than piecemeal interventions that try to break particular links between inequality and social problems (often rather half-heartedly).

Wilkinson's and Pickett's argument becomes a little shaky when they get to policy recommendations (part III) of the book: what should we do about inequality? Nevertheless I think one of the strengths of their argument is that it can appeal to many conservatives and socialists, since both prefer to live in societies with more trust, social mobility, etc. For example, conservatives anxious about increasing government power or taxation may be prompted to reflect that an unequal state will spend far more on its self-created social problems - for example, imprisoning large numbers of people - which also seems a less pleasant use of state power and taxes than aiming for inequality.

If it is true that inequality in income is itself the real problem then there seem various paths to improvement via one or a combination of i) a more redistributive welfare state (the socialist inclination, as in Scandinavia); ii) more equal market incomes (the conservative inclination, as in Japan); iii) emphasising the collective production of high quality universal public goods to all citizens (like pre-school education and health-care) which do not have the stigma of hand-outs. Reducing inequality also seems a feasible rather than a utopian project since a number of rich countries with quite different political and institutional backgrounds already demonstrate that much greater equality is achievable. Those perfectly ordinary success stories should also reassure those who see dystopia lurking in any attempt to improve society.

Unfortunately, many of the countries at the top of the equality list have been becoming less equal in the last 10 years. This underlines the fact that equality does not come straightforwardly out of material progress but must be struggled for politically by an 'equality movement', preferably a coalition of the diverse groups who care about the well-being of their society and are convinced by this empirical argument despite their strongly differing views on the value of equality itself or the role of government.

I'm a philosophy graduate student in the Netherlands. I blog on philosophy at http://thephilosophersbeard.blogspot.com/ and http://philosophymadefun.blogspot.com/

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