The United States Since 1980

The World Since 1980

by Dean Baker

This provocative book describes the sharp right turn the United States has taken following the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980. The treatment details how the policies pursued by the Reagan administration were a break from both the policies pursued by prior administrations and those pursued in other wealthy countries. The Reagan administration policies had the effect of redistributing both before- and after-tax income upward, creating a situation in which the bulk of the economic gains over the last quarter century were directed to a small segment of the population. The analysis explains how both political parties have come largely to accept the main tenets of Reaganism, putting the United States on a path that is at odds with most of the rest of the world and is not sustainable.

Genres: Politics, Economics, History, Nonfiction

274 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2007

About the author

https://deanbakerpoetryandsongs.com

"Dean is a combination of thought and torment that has made him write more than a baker's dozen of fine poems.. he might produce a collection that could astound us all." - Irving Layton
Irving Layton is one of Canada's foremost poets, nominated twice for the Nobel Prize for Literature; teacher, friend and mentor to Leonard Cohen, and the man to whom Leonard dedicated his latest book.
My poetry has appeared in hundreds of literature magazines world wide, recorded, and online.

Reviews

[Ayeesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank god someone is making me read this.

i mean really, i'm learning shit i should have learned in high school but somehow managed not to (not a discredit to my high school but rather to me and my attitude toward history).

it's also working in tandem with my history of 20th century middle east course, which is awesome.

***********

again, can i just say, reading about events one has lived through is incredibly disconcerting. it's interesting to see what and how material is presented - how these elaborate "media events" are boiled down to a few pages, a few paragraphs, even one line or mention.

also, there is a distinct liberal bent to this book (you can tell by what he considers progress and backwardness - for lack of a better word - in terms of social issues), however, i don't think he's a democrat either (how many liberals are dems these days?)

last, this book highlighted for me how much my brain refuses to comprehend economics. i mean, i'm usually good at learning, put some effort in and bam! but not here. either my brain isn't "compatible" with it or i'm just getting old and it's going to be harder for me to learn new things.

anyway, a good read (hah!) overall.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It may look incredibly bland and pedagogic, but its really good! Dean Baker may be one the most perspicacious economist working today, see his blog: http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/be...

[Grayson Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book on America for the last 25 years. The book concludes that America is not on a path that is sustainable with the rest of the world and how both parties have accepted many of the pillars of Reaganism.