Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense
jc
Government Expense
How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense
(and StickYou with the Bill)
David Cay Johnston - Author
http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781591841913,00.html
The bestselling author of Perfectly Legal returns with a powerful new
exposé
How does a strong and growing economy lend itself to job uncertainty,
debt, bankruptcy, and economic fear for a vast number of Americans?
Free Lunch provides answers to this great economic mystery of our
time, revealing how today's government policies and spending reach
deep into the wallets of the many for the benefit of the wealthy few.
Johnston cuts through the official version of events and shows how,
under the guise of deregulation, a whole new set of regulations
quietly went into effect--regulations that thwart competition, depress
wages, and reward misconduct. From how George W. Bush got rich off a
tax increase to a $100 million taxpayer gift to Warren Buffett,
Johnston puts a face on all of the dirty little tricks that business
and government pull. A lot of people appear to be getting free lunches--
but of course there's no such thing as a free lunch, and someone (you,
the taxpayer) is picking up the bill.
Johnston's many revelations include:
* How we ended up with the most expensive yet inefficient health-care
system in the world
* How homeowners' title insurance became a costly, deceitful, yet
almost invisible oligopoly
* How our government gives hidden subsidies for posh golf courses
* How Paris Hilton's grandfather schemed to retake the family fortune
from a charity for poor children
* How the Yankees and Mets owners will collect more than $1.3 billion
in public funds
In these instances and many more, Free Lunch shows how the lobbyists
and lawyers representing the most powerful 0.1 percent of Americans
manipulated our government at the expense of the other 99.9 percent.
With his extraordinary reporting, vivid stories, and sharp analysis,
Johnston reveals the forces that shape our everyday economic lives--and
shows us how we can finally make things better.
"If you're concerned about congressional earmarks, stock options
(especially backdated options), hedge fund tax breaks, abuse of
eminent domain, subsidies to sports teams, K Street lobbyists, the
state of our health-care system, to say nothing of the cavernous gap
between rich and poor, you'll read this fine book--as I did--with a
growing sense of outrage. Free Lunch makes it clear that it's high
time for 'We the People' to stand up and be counted."
--John C. Bogle, founder and former chairman, The Vanguard Group
"With clarity, conciseness, and cool, fact-saturated analysis, Mr.
Johnston, the premier investigative reporter on how industry and
commerce shift risks and costs to taxpayers, sends the ultimate
message to all Americans--either we demand to have a say or we will
continue to pay, pay, and pay."
--Ralph Nader
[] [] [] [] [] []
"Free Lunch": David Cay Johnston on hidden government subsidies for
the very, very rich
1/3/08 -- David Cay Johnston is interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR's
"Fresh Air"
http://prairieweather.typepad.com/the_scribe/2008/01/free-lunch-davi.html
Intro: Why are the rich getting richer while the middle class falls
behind? That's the question that Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist,
David Cay Johnston, sets out to answer in his book, "Free Lunch: How
the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and
Stick You With the Bill)." He says that since the Reagan
administration, it's become the unstated policy to create federal laws
and regulations that favor the already wealthy and the politically-
connected. Johnston writes, "Money for the basics that make society
work - from raking leaves in the park to highway bridge maintenance -
is dwindling because so much has been diverted to the already rich
through give-aways, tax breaks, and a host of subsidies that range
from the explicit to the deeply hidden. It's those give-aways, tax
breaks and subsidies that Johnston examines in his book. Johnston is
an investigative reporter for the New York Times and has written
extensively about taxes.
[] [] [] [] [] []
Friday, January 18, 2008
Free Lunch: How Wealthy Dine at the Government Trough & You Pay the
Bill!
http://quakerorts.blogspot.com/2008/01/free-lunch-how-wealthy-dine-at.html
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Cay Johnston is interviewed on
Democracy Now! and talks about his new book, "Free Lunch: How The
Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves At Government Expense (And
Stick You With the Bill)." Johnston reveals how government subsidies
and new regulations have quietly funneled money from the poor and the
middle class to the rich and politically connected.
Here's a link to his 2004 interview on how our tax system helps the
wealthy and hurts the poor.
http://www.democracynow.org/2004/5/18/the_covert_campaign_to_rig_our
This guy really knows his stuff.
"Free Lunch: How The Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves At
Government Expense (And Stick You With the Bill)"
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Cay Johnston joins us to talk
about his new book, "Free Lunch: How The Wealthiest Americans Enrich
Themselves At Government Expense (And Stick You With the Bill)."
Johnston reveals how government subsidies and new regulations have
quietly funneled money from the poor and the middle class to the rich
and politically connected.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/18/free_lunch_how_the_wealthiest_americans
[] [] [] [] [] []
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gerry
> Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at
> Government Expense
>
> How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense
> (and StickYou with the Bill)
>
> Intro: Why are the rich getting richer while the middle class falls
> behind? That's the question that Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist,
> David Cay Johnston, sets out to answer in his book, "Free Lunch: How
> the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and
> Stick You With the Bill)." He says that since the Reagan
> administration, it's become the unstated policy to create federal laws
> and regulations that favor the already wealthy and the politically-
> connected. Johnston writes, "Money for the basics that make society
> work - from raking leaves in the park to highway bridge maintenance -
> is dwindling because so much has been diverted to the already rich
> through give-aways, tax breaks, and a host of subsidies that range
> from the explicit to the deeply hidden. It's those give-aways, tax
> breaks and subsidies that Johnston examines in his book. Johnston is
> an investigative reporter for the New York Times and has written
> extensively about taxes.
> [] [] [] [] [] []
>
> Friday, January 18, 2008
> Free Lunch: How Wealthy Dine at the Government Trough & You Pay the
> Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Cay Johnston is interviewed on
> Democracy Now! and talks about his new book, "Free Lunch: How The
> Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves At Government Expense (And
> Stick You With the Bill)." Johnston reveals how government subsidies
> and new regulations have quietly funneled money from the poor and the
> middle class to the rich and politically connected.
>
> Here's a link to his 2004 interview on how our tax system helps the
> This guy really knows his stuff.
> "Free Lunch: How The Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves At
> Government Expense (And Stick You With the Bill)"
>
> Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Cay Johnston joins us to talk
> about his new book, "Free Lunch: How The Wealthiest Americans Enrich
> Themselves At Government Expense (And Stick You With the Bill)."
> Johnston reveals how government subsidies and new regulations have
> quietly funneled money from the poor and the middle class to the rich
> [] [] [] [] [] []
>
> bookshttp://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51006PD31JL.jpghttp://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Zc90x8GDL._AA240_.jpg
>
> Big factory pig farms are some of America's worst pollutershttp://boingboing.net/images/12840865-12840868-slarge.jpghttp://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/20/big-factory-pig-farm.htmlhttp://boingboing.net/images/smithfieldpr00000nyth.jpghttp://boingboing.net/images/363476496_511f2044e0.jpg
>
> Live sex on-demand video coming to US hotel rooms?http://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/17/live-sex-ondemand-vi.htmlhttp://files.blog-city.com/files/A05/141484/p/f/dollar_bills.jpg
David Cay Johnson was on Bill Moyers Journal Friday, January 18.
Instead of talking heads, it would have been nice if Moyers' show
staff had shown videos demonstrating what Johnson was talking about,
such as the Texas Rangers' Arlington Stadium, built using a
combination of taxes to bill the stadium for George Bush and eminent
domain land seizures. But Moyers' budget has apparently shrunk a lot
from when he had Bill Moyers' NOW PBS show, a show that actually had a
travel budget and correspondents.
kc
By: Jane Hamsher Sunday February 3, 2008
http://firedoglake.com/2008/02/03/fdl-book-salon-welcome-david-cay-johnston/
On Jan 18, 10:51 am, jc <lol7...@msn.com> wrote:
> Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at
> Government Expense
>
> How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense
> (and StickYou with the Bill)DavidCayJohnston- Authorhttp://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781591841913,00.html
>
> The bestselling author of Perfectly Legal returns with a powerful new
> exposé
>
> How does a strong and growing economy lend itself to job uncertainty,
> debt, bankruptcy, and economic fear for a vast number of Americans?
> Free Lunch provides answers to this great economic mystery of our
> time, revealing how today's government policies and spending reach
> deep into the wallets of the many for the benefit of the wealthy few.
>
> Johnstoncuts through the official version of events and shows how,
> under the guise of deregulation, a whole new set of regulations
> quietly went into effect--regulations that thwart competition, depress
> wages, and reward misconduct. From how George W. Bush got rich off a
> tax increase to a $100 million taxpayer gift to Warren Buffett,Johnstonputs a face on all of the dirty little tricks that business
> and government pull. A lot of people appear to be getting free lunches--
> but of course there's no such thing as a free lunch, and someone (you,
> the taxpayer) is picking up the bill.
>
> Johnston'smany revelations include:
> * How we ended up with the most expensive yet inefficient health-care
> system in the world
> * How homeowners' title insurance became a costly, deceitful, yet
> almost invisible oligopoly
> * How our government gives hidden subsidies for posh golf courses
> * How Paris Hilton's grandfather schemed to retake the family fortune
> from a charity for poor children
> * How the Yankees and Mets owners will collect more than $1.3 billion
> in public funds
>
> In these instances and many more, Free Lunch shows how the lobbyists
> and lawyers representing the most powerful 0.1 percent of Americans
> manipulated our government at the expense of the other 99.9 percent.
>
> With his extraordinary reporting, vivid stories, and sharp analysis,Johnstonreveals the forces that shape our everyday economic lives--and
> shows us how we can finally make things better.
>
> "If you're concerned about congressional earmarks, stock options
> (especially backdated options), hedge fund tax breaks, abuse of
> eminent domain, subsidies to sports teams, K Street lobbyists, the
> state of our health-care system, to say nothing of the cavernous gap
> between rich and poor, you'll read this fine book--as I did--with a
> growing sense of outrage. Free Lunch makes it clear that it's high
> time for 'We the People' to stand up and be counted."
> --John C. Bogle, founder and former chairman, The Vanguard Group
>
> "With clarity, conciseness, and cool, fact-saturated analysis, Mr.Johnston, the premier investigative reporter on how industry and
> commerce shift risks and costs to taxpayers, sends the ultimate
> message to all Americans--either we demand to have a say or we will
> continue to pay, pay, and pay."
> --Ralph Nader
> [] [] [] [] [] []
>
> "Free Lunch":DavidCayJohnstonon hidden government subsidies for
> the very, very rich
>
> 1/3/08 --DavidCayJohnstonis interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR's
> "Fresh Air"http://prairieweather.typepad.com/the_scribe/2008/01/free-lunch-davi....
>
> Intro: Why are the rich getting richer while the middle class falls
> behind? That's the question that Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist,DavidCayJohnston, sets out to answer in his book, "Free Lunch: How
> the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and
> Stick You With the Bill)." He says that since the Reagan
> administration, it's become the unstated policy to create federal laws
> and regulations that favor the already wealthy and the politically-
> connected. Johnstonwrites, "Money for the basics that make society
> work - from raking leaves in the park to highway bridge maintenance -
> is dwindling because so much has been diverted to the already rich
> through give-aways, tax breaks, and a host of subsidies that range
> from the explicit to the deeply hidden. It's those give-aways, tax
> breaks and subsidies thatJohnstonexamines in his book. Johnstonis
> an investigative reporter for the New York Times and has written
> extensively about taxes.
> [] [] [] [] [] []
>
> Friday, January 18, 2008
> Free Lunch: How Wealthy Dine at the Government Trough & You Pay the
> Bill!http://quakerorts.blogspot.com/2008/01/free-lunch-how-wealthy-dine-at...
> Pulitzer Prize winning journalistDavidCayJohnstonis interviewed on
> Democracy Now! and talks about his new book, "Free Lunch: How The
> Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves At Government Expense (And
> Stick You With the Bill)."Johnstonreveals how government subsidies
> and new regulations have quietly funneled money from the poor and the
> middle class to the rich and politically connected.
>
> Here's a link to his 2004 interview on how our tax system helps the
> wealthy and hurts the poor.http://www.democracynow.org/2004/5/18/the_covert_campaign_to_rig_our
> This guy really knows his stuff.
> "Free Lunch: How The Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves At
> Government Expense (And Stick You With the Bill)"
>
> Pulitzer Prize winning journalistDavidCayJohnstonjoins us to talk
> about his new book, "Free Lunch: How The Wealthiest Americans Enrich
> Themselves At Government Expense (And Stick You With the Bill)."Johnstonreveals how government subsidies and new regulations have
> quietly funneled money from the poor and the middle class to the rich
> and politically connected.http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/18/free_lunch_how_the_wealthiest_a...
> [] [] [] [] [] []
>
> bookshttp://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51006PD31JL.jpghttp://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Zc90x8GDL._AA240_.jpg
>
> Big factory pig farms are some of America's worst pollutershttp://boingboing.net/images/12840865-12840868-slarge.jpghttp://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/20/big-factory-pig-farm.htmlhttp://boingboing.net/images/smithfieldpr00000nyth.jpghttp://boingboing.net/images/363476496_511f2044e0.jpg