Greedy Bastards: How We Can Stop Corporate Communists, Banksters, and Other Vampires from Sucking America Dry [NOOK Book]

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Overview


The host of the eponymous MSNBC show, Dylan Ratigan offers a bold and original post-partisan program to resuscitate the American Dream.

At a time of deep concern with the state of America’s economy and government, it seems that all the media can give us is talking (or screaming) heads who revel in partisan brinkmanship. Then there’s Dylan Ratigan—an award-winning journalist respected and admired across the political spectrum. In Greedy Bastards, he rips the lid off of our deeply crooked system—and offers a way out.

Employing the nuanced reporting and critical analysis that have earned him so much respect, Ratigan ...

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More About This Book

Overview


The host of the eponymous MSNBC show, Dylan Ratigan offers a bold and original post-partisan program to resuscitate the American Dream.

At a time of deep concern with the state of America’s economy and government, it seems that all the media can give us is talking (or screaming) heads who revel in partisan brinkmanship. Then there’s Dylan Ratigan—an award-winning journalist respected and admired across the political spectrum. In Greedy Bastards, he rips the lid off of our deeply crooked system—and offers a way out.

Employing the nuanced reporting and critical analysis that have earned him so much respect, Ratigan describes the five “vampires” that are sucking the nation dry, including an educational system that values mediocrity above all else; a healthcare system that is among the priciest and least-effective infrastructures in the industrialized world; a political system in which lobbyists write legislation; a “master-slave” relationship with our Chinese bankers; and an addiction to foreign oil that has sapped our willingness to innovate. In offering solutions to these formidable and entrenched obstacles, he does nothing less than lay the groundwork for a political movement dedicated to tackling the rot at the heart of the country.

In its desperation, America needs more than just endless stock tips and Wall Street navel-gazing. It needs passionate debate and smart policy—and a hero to take on the establishment. Dylan Ratigan is that hero, and this is the book that will rally people behind him.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Former financial news anchor and host of CNBC's "Fast Money," Ratigan delivers an energetic, powerful, and at times unsettling portrait of America in crisis, dramatically rendered with the chiaroscuro of sobering statistics: infant mortality rates are double that of France, Japan, and Australia, and more than 40 million Americans are currently living in poverty. Ratigan's suggestions for overhaul seem interesting, though more so in terms of concept than in actual execution. To fix the fraught educational system, he benignly suggests we "Find the Teachers Who Create Effective Learning Environments" and implement performance-based positions. Later, Ratigan describes efficiency as the "silver bullet that will kill the vampire of the incumbent energy industry," with a nod to Germany's so-far-so-good push to becoming independent of oil and nuclear power by 2050. Given the book's fast-paced and dramatic delivery, it's easy to see why Ratigan was a popular TV personality. He outlines his simple, concise arguments with memorable subheads like the provocative "Thought for Sale," and even though his portrait of the U.S. is bleak, he believes we have options. The "Ratigan Hypothesis"-that "we are the first generation to be able to use modern communications tools to fix our debt problem without resorting to war"-is compelling enough to warrant serious consideration. Illus.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Reviews
A diatribe against bankers, corrupt politicians, lobbyists, Wall Street traders and others "greedy bastards." MSNBC host Ratigan takes aim at American citizens who he presumes will no longer tolerate being robbed of their money by those who enrich themselves at the expense of society as a whole. The author explains how the greedy bastards wrested control of the health-care system, the energy-supply pipeline and other sectors, and he preaches that ordinary citizens must become informed--and then enraged--before they are moved to act against those robbing them. Some of Ratigan's solutions are relatively specific--e.g., he proposes a revision to the tax code that would encourage long-term investment rather than short-term extraction of deposits. Ratigan suggests reforming campaign-finance laws, blocking the revolving door between service in the legislature and service in lobbying firms and altering the ways Congressional districts are redrawn by state legislatures to protect incumbents and disenfranchise minority voters. Not bound by the false theory that the United States is the world's most progressive nation, Ratigan looks to other nations that have found better answers to age-old dilemmas, such as providing high-quality health care at affordable cost to every individual from birth until death. Rather than citing only the solutions found in Canada--often the touchstone of reformers--Ratigan mentions successes throughout Europe and also in Singapore. To underscore his points, the author includes flow charts, cartoons and other reader-friendly touches; unfortunately, he does not provide sufficient sourcing for his arguments. A pastiche of thinking by other reformers with a thin original Ratigan overlay.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781451642247
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster
  • Publication date: 1/10/2012
  • Sold by: SIMON & SCHUSTER
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 256
  • Sales rank: 8,625
  • File size: 3 MB

Meet the Author


Dylan Ratigan is the host of MSNBC’s The Dylan Ratigan Show, one of the highest-rated, daytime shows on the network. This make-versus-take, analysis-driven daily broadcast fearlessly takes on the world of politics, money, and the unholy alliance between big business and government.

The former global managing editor for corporate finance at Bloomberg News, Ratigan has developed and launched more than half a dozen broadcast and new media properties. They include CNBC’s Fast Money and Closing Bell, as well as DylanRatigan.com, which is home to his podcast, “Greedy Bastards Antidote.”

Ratigan left as host of Fast Money in 2009, provoked by outrage over the government’s handling of the 2008 financial crisis. Since then, he has dedicated his work to launching platforms that engage and debate the U.S. government on policy, while opening the door for millions to learn more about money’s often poisonous role in our democracy. His first book, Greedy Bastards, which will be released on January 10, 2012, details this broken system, and more importantly, illustrates how fixing these problems will release a renaissance of growth and innovation.

Since late September 2011, more than 300,000 people have pledged support, millions of dollars have been raised, and an organization with a staff of a dozen people has been formed under Ratigan’s leadership to pursue the singular objective to pass a 28th Constitutional amendment to separate business and state.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 20 )

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Sort by: Showing all of 16 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 10, 2012

    Fantastic

    This is a remarkable book and is the threshold of the real CHANGE thats is needed and going to happen. The thought of this new amendment is out there and others will follow that will put our country back on the map as the greastest country you'ld ever want to live in.

    14 out of 15 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 4, 2012

    Extraction

    Sometimes it takes a rant to get a few people to pay attention. Then those people tell others. The rant turns into a discussion, the discussion turns into a theme, and the theme changes us all.

    Let's hope so.

    Don't go to the polls again without reading this. Don't read another news article and assume it's so. Research the issues, get vocal and get busy.

    6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted January 28, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Highly recommended for the election season!

    A short read with an in-depth review of the state of our nation's movers-and-shakers, what trees they shake and which ones are moved.

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

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