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blackshirt's review against another edition
3.0
Matt Miller's makes the argument in this book that the U.S. is operating under a series of outdated ideas that will necessarily change within the next 10 years because holding onto them with lead to economic decline. In the second part of the book he purposes new ideas to replace the old ones he lists and how they will come about. His argumentation appears sound and because all of these ideas are politically charged and require political solutions he uses evidence and testimony from both liberal and conservative think tanks and advisors to strengthen his argument. For each idea he goes through the history of how it came about and how it was even sound for its time; he then details how circumstances have changed to make the idea obsolete or even dangerous for the future of the U.S.
Kids will earn more than their parents. Miller makes the objective case that for most Americans this is no longer the case. The fact that this became an established idea in American thought in the first place was because America stood as the sole economic power in the world following World War II, which gave us 40 plus years of children earning more than their parents. Government offices in the executive and legislative branches, as well as conservative and liberal economists agree that taxes are going up no matter which party is in charge. He decries that we must face this fact first and foremost.
Free trade is "good" (no matter how many people get hurt). Miller charges that economists have largely been complicit in a "good" conspiracy. Globalization taken as a whole and over the long term is good for the world. The problem, as nearly everyone agrees, is that some people get hurt, especially people in more developed nations that lose their jobs to people in lower-income nations. The conspiracy is that it doesn't matter because the net effect is positive - the problem with that is that it is a subjective evaluation and not objective science. Miller proposes to avoid protectionist policies by having employment insurance and job re-training for those that lose their jobs, which will lessen the opposition to inevitable trends like businesses moving off shore in search of a competitive edge and as a result uplifting the world's poor.
Your company should take care of you. Many people already know the problem with this is that few people work for the same company their whole lives as they did 30, 40, and 50 years ago. The company cannot be the only thing to take care of you because they cannot cover the costs of medical care and maintain a competitive edge with companies that do not offer it or have foreign workers. Miller instead proposes that the government provide a minimum amount of healthcare in some form, be it a single payer or a voucher, which companies can supplement on to if they wish.
Taxes hurt the economy (and they're always too high). The first part of this idea Miller debunks is that taxes hurt the economy. He quotes statistics by the budget offices of the Congress and executive branches that show that to pay for Medicare and Social Security taxes will have to be raised to at least around 22%. He also shows that among developed countries, from those with the highest taxes, like the Scandinavian countries to the U.S. the tax rate shows little to no correlation to economic growth. One proposed reason for this is that European countries tax smarter by lowering corporate taxes to encourage businesses to locate in their country, taxing the rich more heavily, and relying more on "sin" taxes like gas, tobacco, and alcohol.
Schools are a local matter. Schools in the U.S. are disorganized messes because they're often run by people who do not have schools are their primary interest and because there is no easy way to compare one to another. Miller argues that schools will actually be more free if they have a clear set of national standards that they must maintain while freeing them up to experiment in how to better achieve those standards.
Money follows merit. This is a more focused dead idea. Miller argues that Lower Uppers, the people that sit below the immensely wealthy are beginning to seethe at the ghastly payouts for CEOs that do not seem to deserve their pay given their results. His logic continues that if it seems more like luck that these CEOs have reached the positions they have, instead of the Vice Presidents below who seem more capable, then they might also look down and wonder how much lives of the poor are based on luck, such as the prebirth lottery - which family one happens to be born into, or where - which largely determines a person's life outcomes. Miller proposes that these increasingly dissatisfied people are the hope that America has to bring about the changes listed above because they have the power to do so.
Overall the book is well written, the points well taken. While some may disagree with specific policy recommendations, the broad ideas are well supported by evidence.
Kids will earn more than their parents. Miller makes the objective case that for most Americans this is no longer the case. The fact that this became an established idea in American thought in the first place was because America stood as the sole economic power in the world following World War II, which gave us 40 plus years of children earning more than their parents. Government offices in the executive and legislative branches, as well as conservative and liberal economists agree that taxes are going up no matter which party is in charge. He decries that we must face this fact first and foremost.
Free trade is "good" (no matter how many people get hurt). Miller charges that economists have largely been complicit in a "good" conspiracy. Globalization taken as a whole and over the long term is good for the world. The problem, as nearly everyone agrees, is that some people get hurt, especially people in more developed nations that lose their jobs to people in lower-income nations. The conspiracy is that it doesn't matter because the net effect is positive - the problem with that is that it is a subjective evaluation and not objective science. Miller proposes to avoid protectionist policies by having employment insurance and job re-training for those that lose their jobs, which will lessen the opposition to inevitable trends like businesses moving off shore in search of a competitive edge and as a result uplifting the world's poor.
Your company should take care of you. Many people already know the problem with this is that few people work for the same company their whole lives as they did 30, 40, and 50 years ago. The company cannot be the only thing to take care of you because they cannot cover the costs of medical care and maintain a competitive edge with companies that do not offer it or have foreign workers. Miller instead proposes that the government provide a minimum amount of healthcare in some form, be it a single payer or a voucher, which companies can supplement on to if they wish.
Taxes hurt the economy (and they're always too high). The first part of this idea Miller debunks is that taxes hurt the economy. He quotes statistics by the budget offices of the Congress and executive branches that show that to pay for Medicare and Social Security taxes will have to be raised to at least around 22%. He also shows that among developed countries, from those with the highest taxes, like the Scandinavian countries to the U.S. the tax rate shows little to no correlation to economic growth. One proposed reason for this is that European countries tax smarter by lowering corporate taxes to encourage businesses to locate in their country, taxing the rich more heavily, and relying more on "sin" taxes like gas, tobacco, and alcohol.
Schools are a local matter. Schools in the U.S. are disorganized messes because they're often run by people who do not have schools are their primary interest and because there is no easy way to compare one to another. Miller argues that schools will actually be more free if they have a clear set of national standards that they must maintain while freeing them up to experiment in how to better achieve those standards.
Money follows merit. This is a more focused dead idea. Miller argues that Lower Uppers, the people that sit below the immensely wealthy are beginning to seethe at the ghastly payouts for CEOs that do not seem to deserve their pay given their results. His logic continues that if it seems more like luck that these CEOs have reached the positions they have, instead of the Vice Presidents below who seem more capable, then they might also look down and wonder how much lives of the poor are based on luck, such as the prebirth lottery - which family one happens to be born into, or where - which largely determines a person's life outcomes. Miller proposes that these increasingly dissatisfied people are the hope that America has to bring about the changes listed above because they have the power to do so.
Overall the book is well written, the points well taken. While some may disagree with specific policy recommendations, the broad ideas are well supported by evidence.
theartolater's review against another edition
1.0
Note to Matt Miller: if you think an idea is dead, don’t quote a poll in the first section that disproves your premise. Horrid, horrid book.
nutti72's review against another edition
4.0
An intriguing & well written book about why Americans (people, businesses & government) hold on to ideas that have run it's course. Miller talks about the innovations he'd like to see coming from Europe & Asia particularly in the interest in public schools. His ideas are not for the faint of heart.
davidr's review against another edition
5.0
This is an excellent book; I highly recommend it to every person who cares deeply about the course of our nation. The book is actually quite an easy read--I finished it in a couple of days. But the ideas are profound. What is most interesting in this book is the balance between which things should be done by the national government, and which policies are best handled by private industry. It is very thought-provoking, and really made me think about my assumptions about politics, economics, and education in the United States.
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