BOOK REVIEW (325 words)
Pawlenty, Tim.
Courage to Stand.
2010.
Tyndale Publishers.
301 pp.
ISBN 978-1-4143-4572-7
$26.99
---Joanne Conrad Reviewer
Published Midwest Book Review, May 2011, Bookwatch, Joanne's Bookshelf. Also published The Livingston County News, 5/29/11.
One of the top five most highly taxed states in the country? [9] Spending increases averaging 21% every 2 years? [135] Endless government growth a form of tyranny? [136] Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who joins other Republicans writing books these days, and just recently announced an exploratory committee for the 2012 presidential race, chronicles his Minnesota experiences in Courage to Stand.
Much is about his growing up in South St. Paul, the Armour and Swift stockyards, his humble roots, his religious faith, and messages for individuals, states, and the nation.
During hard times in South St. Paul, the Cold War and nuclear fears piqued his interest in public policy, and, still a teenager, he subscribed to U. S. News and World Report to sate his curiosity. A poignant story portends his lifelong can-do ethic. To supplement their meager income, his father accepted a side job recycling used stockyard meat hooks. It was a sickening task yanking meathooks from bins and rehanging for powerwashing and reuse. They were covered with rotting fat and sinew, covered with flies, and the stench unbearable. He “tossed his cookies” and hoped his father would let him leave. His father, equally abhorred, just looked at him steadily and said quietly, “We have to do this,” an attitude which has guided Pawlenty through life’s challenges. [44-45]
Besides campaigning, he has grappled with a $4.6 billion deficit [6], high taxes, educational reform, health care, Minneapolis bridge collapse, sex offenders, and National Guard deployments. Accused of heartlessness and neglect, he seemed constantly embattled. Unjustly blamed for the parole of a sex offender and the bridge collapse, investigations exonerated him in both cases. His and his wife Mary’s strong religious faith is frequently cited as their strength and solace.
Overcoming undeserved attacks, his accomplishments include: improved National Guard and military support, decreased spending to sustainable levels, Minnesota out of the top 10 in taxation, education reforms that are nation-leading , market based health care reform, and even free but fair trade.[295-6] He concludes that Americans can fix things [298] and that “…the price of freedom tomorrow is the courage to stand today.” [280] Some chapter titles are confusing and there is no index, but it is an interesting autobiography that showcases his strong Christian faith and indomitable nature.
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Saturday, March 5, 2011
BOOK REVIEW, Aftershock
BOOK REVIEW (346 words) 3/2011
Wiedemer, David.
Aftershock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown.
2010.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
260 pp.
ISBN 978-0-470-48156-1.
$27.95 hardcover.
Published Livingston County News 4/14/11
Published Midwest Book Review May 2011, Bookwatch, Joanne's Bookshelf
--Joanne Conrad Reviewer
Tax increases of 30-70% on total income?[217] Forty to sixty percent unemployed?[217] Social unrest, but not chaos?[218] A silver lining?[222] David Wiedemer, Ph. D., Univ. of Wisconsin, author of America’s Bubble Economy, writes in Aftershock about six bubbles in the economy that are collapsing. It may be chaotic for a while, and the silver lining of the post-dollar-bubble collapse will “…force us to confront …fundamental problems and make changes to our government and society to improve productivity.”[222]
His six bubbles are: Real Estate Bubble, Stock Market, Private Debt, Discretionary Spending, Dollar, and Government Debt.[25-55] Yet to come are the Dollar collapse and Government Debt collapse when no one will want our dollars and we can no longer borrow. It will not be like 1929 as we are wealthier, have more safety nets, and extended families will rely on employed relatives and friends, but increased public distress will occur.[214]
Wiedemer postulates the last two bubble quakes will require government to “cut, cut, cut spending and live on its income.”[209] Horrendous inflation, curtailed pensions, defense cuts, Social Security means testing, Medicare reimbursement reductions, interest payment eliminations, agriculture and commerce cuts, increased user fees, and eliminated subsidies will ensue.[211] Investment recommendations are also included.
He concludes with seven needed reforms to solve long-term economic problems: (1) Political, (2) Productivity, (3) Bubble Prevention, (4) Financial, (5) Economic, (6) Capital Creation, and (7) Targeted Stimulation.[256-258] Not included is the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (7/2010), nor the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (12/2010) or the GAO Report to Congress (3/1/2011), the latter two which could generate serious reforms.
He predicts an international currency, the IMU, pronounced “eye-mu,” an international monetary unit, because of financial globalism. This will start with the dollar, yen, and euro, and eventually include other currencies.[166] Perhaps Wiedemer also read G. Edward Griffin’s The Creature from Jekyll Island (2005) about the Federal Reserve, which mentions a world-wide “bancor,” coined by John Maynard Keynes in 1944.[544]
A bibliography, index, and a detailed website www.aftershockeconomy.com/appendixb are also provided. It is sobering, comprehensive, and quite readable.
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Wiedemer, David.
Aftershock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown.
2010.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
260 pp.
ISBN 978-0-470-48156-1.
$27.95 hardcover.
Published Livingston County News 4/14/11
Published Midwest Book Review May 2011, Bookwatch, Joanne's Bookshelf
--Joanne Conrad Reviewer
Tax increases of 30-70% on total income?[217] Forty to sixty percent unemployed?[217] Social unrest, but not chaos?[218] A silver lining?[222] David Wiedemer, Ph. D., Univ. of Wisconsin, author of America’s Bubble Economy, writes in Aftershock about six bubbles in the economy that are collapsing. It may be chaotic for a while, and the silver lining of the post-dollar-bubble collapse will “…force us to confront …fundamental problems and make changes to our government and society to improve productivity.”[222]
His six bubbles are: Real Estate Bubble, Stock Market, Private Debt, Discretionary Spending, Dollar, and Government Debt.[25-55] Yet to come are the Dollar collapse and Government Debt collapse when no one will want our dollars and we can no longer borrow. It will not be like 1929 as we are wealthier, have more safety nets, and extended families will rely on employed relatives and friends, but increased public distress will occur.[214]
Wiedemer postulates the last two bubble quakes will require government to “cut, cut, cut spending and live on its income.”[209] Horrendous inflation, curtailed pensions, defense cuts, Social Security means testing, Medicare reimbursement reductions, interest payment eliminations, agriculture and commerce cuts, increased user fees, and eliminated subsidies will ensue.[211] Investment recommendations are also included.
He concludes with seven needed reforms to solve long-term economic problems: (1) Political, (2) Productivity, (3) Bubble Prevention, (4) Financial, (5) Economic, (6) Capital Creation, and (7) Targeted Stimulation.[256-258] Not included is the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (7/2010), nor the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (12/2010) or the GAO Report to Congress (3/1/2011), the latter two which could generate serious reforms.
He predicts an international currency, the IMU, pronounced “eye-mu,” an international monetary unit, because of financial globalism. This will start with the dollar, yen, and euro, and eventually include other currencies.[166] Perhaps Wiedemer also read G. Edward Griffin’s The Creature from Jekyll Island (2005) about the Federal Reserve, which mentions a world-wide “bancor,” coined by John Maynard Keynes in 1944.[544]
A bibliography, index, and a detailed website www.aftershockeconomy.com/appendixb are also provided. It is sobering, comprehensive, and quite readable.
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