Authors@Google: Jeffrey Sachs, "The Price of Civilization"

"The Price of Civilization"

As he has done in dozens of countries around the world in the midst of economic crises, Sachs turns his unique diagnostic skills to what ails the American economy. He finds that both political parties—and many leading economists—have missed the big picture, offering shortsighted solutions such as stimulus spending or tax cuts to address complex economic problems that require deeper solutions. Sachs argues that we have profoundly underestimated globalization's long-term effects on our country, which create deep and largely unmet challenges with regard to jobs, incomes, poverty, and the environment. America's single biggest economic failure, Sachs argues, is its inability to come to grips with the new global economic realities.

Yet Sachs goes deeper than an economic diagnosis. By taking a broad, holistic approach—looking at domestic politics, geopolitics, social psychology, and the natural environment as well—Sachs reveals the larger fissures underlying our country's current crisis. He shows how Washington has consistently failed to address America's economic needs. He describes a political system that has lost its ethical moorings, in which ever-rising campaign contributions and lobbying outlays overpower the voice of the citizenry. He also looks at the crisis in our culture, in which an overstimulated and consumption-driven populace in a ferocious quest for wealth now suffers shortfalls of social trust, honesty, and compassion.

Finally, Sachs offers a plan to turn the crisis around. He argues persuasively that the problem is not America's abiding values, which remain generous and pragmatic, but the ease with which political spin and consumerism run circles around those values. He bids the reader to reclaim the virtues of good citizenship and mindfulness toward the economy and one another. Most important, he bids each of us to accept the price of civilization, so that together we can restore America to its great promise.

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[mrzack888]

fuk this guy. his free market theories fuked up a lot of developing nations. fuk free market. Govt protectionism and intervention FTW for developing nations.

[ThisSentenceIsFalse]

A call for a new progressive movement...he's also the Shock Therapy guy...interesting. I like this guy.

[briggsley]

(Agenda 21 policies and the united states) copy and Google my brothers. And (club if Rome). we are being played in set up like a fiddle

[frother]

Sachs is over-optimistic about the possibility for change. Congress is so completely paralyzed that they'll run the country into the ground before allowing a few percentage points of GDP to slide.

[williamrsmith]

Sachs misses the root of the evil by blaming greed instead of corrupt policy. Freddy and Fannie enriched politicians and created a crisis where bankers were incented into excessive risks. The problem is not a lack of governmenf control or human nature to make money. Too much bad policy is the problem. His argument would be stronger if he acknowledged and attempted to refute this valid assertion.

[125axel125]

@williamrsmith I think he doesnt mention them because the root of those things are in political-financial deregulation. Banks got rich thanks to Fannie and Freddy. Remember private companies often use government as a tool to benefit themselves through corporate welfare, government granted monopolies, and other methods. Check out rent seeking.

[125axel125]

I like how he said Androids. iPhones are for richfags

[125axel125]

Amen

[williamrsmith]

Dr. Sachs: Is the financial crisis really all about deregulation? What about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Doesn't government distortion of the housing market deserve a mention? Given your academic crentials and high level experience, II was expecting deeper analysis from you.

[poweronia]

Profound insight from Mr. Sachs.