Intro to my serious summer reading: learning about globalization, corporatocracy and the increasing gap between rich and poor

Today I read a report about the widening gap between the wealthy few and the rest of us.  See the graph and write-up here: http://www.cbpp.org/ This is a sorry state of affairs, and it is a trend that reflects deeply entrenched ethical and  spiritual  bankruptcy in our nation and world.

In recent months, I have felt a compulsion to try to find some reliable information about  how the government of our country is working right now.  Our mainstream media gives us sound bites and sensationalizing.  I wanted to dig deeper.  I wanted to find non-partisan sources of in-depth information.

Serious Reading 5: Perfectly Legal by David Cay Johnston

In short, investigative reporter Johnston explains how U.S. tax laws benefit the very wealthy at the expense of the rest of us.  He describes a legal scheme that would allow a wealthy individual to earn $200 million capital gain profits, without paying any tax and in fact, getting a large charitable deduction.  He details how tax breaks were given to the rich, and the federal government used Social Security payments to make up the difference. He gives statistics that debunk the myth that estate tax causes families to lose family farmland. The author concludes that the wealthy enjoy enormous benefits from our tax system and both the poor and our children pay a high price.  He clearly states that favoritism for the rich is bipartisan. (p. 308)  It’s a discouraging read, but informative. I agree with the author’s recommendation: “Rather than hiding our heads in the sand because taxes are complex and unpleasant, we need to recognize our power and responsibility as a free and democratic people to solve our own problems. …A great chorus is created from many individuals. So is a great silence. …Time invested in serious examination of our tax system, in a debate that engages you, me and everyone else, can pay us huge rewards.” (p. 317)

Serious Reading 4: The Secret History of the American Empire

Of all the books I reviewed, this was the most compelling and the one I recommend if you want to read just one.  It was written by John Perkins, a man who was employed as an “economic hit man” in the 1970′s.  His memoir is the insider’s story of how economic advantage for U.S. corporations was forced on other countries.  As a hit man, he made corrupt deals with foreign leaders.  If they refused, then they became targets for assassination.  He did not work directly for the U.S. government, but in close cooperation.

We love spy stories and intrigue, but we must see the difference between fiction/entertainment and reality.  Mr. Perkins was seduced for a while by the lifestyle and a misguided belief in the overall benefit of what he was doing. When he first decided to write about his experiences, threats on his life kept him from doing so.  After 9/11, he made a commitment to move forward, telling no one until he finished the manuscript (his previous book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man).  

Serious Reading 3: Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health

In the 1980′s author Marion Nestle, a nutritionist, worked on the first and only “Surgeon General’s Report on Nutrition and Health.”  She found the work frustrating: “No matter what the research indicated, the report could not recommend ‘eat less meat’… nor…suggest restrictions on intake of any other category of food.”  In this book, she details how food industry giants exert enormous influence on government agencies, particularly regulatory agencies that are supposed to work independently for the public welfare.  In the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, hundreds of agency heads and staff are political appointees.  Individuals in these positions move readily from working for the industry being regulated to working as a regulator.  This is not in the best interest of the public.

Serious Reading 2: The Bush Agenda by Antonia Juhasz

“Empire” is again a theme of this book as the subtitle implies: “Invading the World, One Economy at a Time.” This title sounds partisan, and I want to explain that I try to be non-partisan because giving my allegiance to one party over the other  could blind me to truth or falsehood.  I cannot define truth as belonging to one party and falsehood to the other.

This book was an eye-opener for me, and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to understand the realities hidden behind the phrases “free trade”, “globalization”, “aid for developing nations” and “safe for democracy.”    The author describes her days as a congressional assistant as the beginning of her personal involvement in issues of globalization. During the Clinton administration, she tried to learn about a multinational agreement being negotiated and was told that she did not have access to it because the Congressman for whom she worked wasn’t on the right committee, and also she was told: “not -and I quote – ‘to worry [my] pretty little head about it.’” (p. 16)   That event made a big impact on her as she realized that “democratic institutions in which I believed so firmly were being leapfrogged by corporations that cared little about democratic process.”

Serious reading 1: Innocent or Imperial? Questions asked in Being America by Jedediah Purdy

This book is not as focused and detailed as the other of my serious reads, but it explores the major themes and serves as an introduction.

I enjoyed Purdy’s first book, For Common Things (1999), a thoughtful criticism of the American attitudes of ironic detachment, cynical sophistication and apathy. Perhaps, post 9-11, Americans are not quite so apt to be apathetic; yet I sense that we still act as spectators,  looking at daily news as conversation fodder. I still consider For Common Things a good read, a good piece of introspection on our collective national character.

Purdy’s personal history, growing up home-schooled in West Virginia and subsequently being educated at Harvard and Yale, contributes to the sense of a fresh and still idealistic perspective in his work. Being America: Liberty, Commerce, and Violence in an American World (2003) is not his most recent work, but it does address the themes of my serious summer reading.

Parallel Play: Growing up with Undiagnosed Asperger’s by Tim Page

This 2009 memoir of classical music critic and Pulitzer-winning writer Tim Page, diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at age 45, was an interesting read. The diagnosis brought him the relief of understanding the interpersonal difficulties he had experienced throughout life, but he also attributes his career success to Asperger characteristics which became the strengths sustaining his work: power of concentration, intense seriousness of purpose and “sensory melding of music and words.”  Some parts of the book delved too deeply into details of his musical interests, at least for me.   The “Epilogue” provides an eloquent statement about the life of an adult with Asperger Syndrome; such descriptions are valuable to provide vision and hope for young Aspies and those of us who work with them.  Tim’s story, like many others, demonstrates that personal development and learning as an adult is significant for Aspies.  The awkward and lonely teen or twenty-something can grow into a successful and contented fifty-something.

Musing about the water in Cold Springs Creek… and oil spills

I dabbled my feet in Cold Springs Creek, and realized that some of that cold clear water will flow into the French Broad River, on to the Tennessee River, which flows into the Ohio and finally the mighty Mississippi. Some drops of the water from that little creek may make it to the Gulf of Mexico, where it will mix with the Deep Horizon oil and then? Those life-sustaining drops of water become part of a mighty tide that pushes life-choking oil over fragile ecosystems.

With fascination, I consider the complex natural cycles that move the elements of life through the world.

The Double Comfort Safari Club – Reading (rather listening) with delight!

After many weeks, my name reached the top of the library’s waiting list for the new audiobook of Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.   Each time I am in my car, I listen to Lisette Lecat’s excellent reading of this book, evoking the gentle, proud spirit of the country of Botswana through the lives and thoughts of Precious Ramotswe, Grace Makutsi, Mr. J. L. B. Matakoni and the rest of the characters. I can hardly express my appreciation for the writing of Alexander McCall Smith.  A breath of fresh air in this post-modern world!

Summer Reading – The Punishment of Virtue by Sarah Chayes

This 2006 book helped me understand the complexities of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.  The subtitle is “Inside Afghanistan after the Taliban.”   Sarah Chayes is a remarkable woman – bold, intelligent, compassionate.  Her immersion in Afghani life in Khandahar, first as an NPR reporter, then in non-profit work and also as advisor to General McChrystal and his predecessor Gen. McKiernan, gives her unique insight into the situation.