Rebooting the American Dream by Thom Hartmann - Book review

Rebooting the American Dream

11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country

By: Thom Hartmann

Published: October 11, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 200 pages
ISBN-10: 1605097063
ISBN-13: 978-1605097060
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers









"When Washington became President in 1789, most of America's personal and industrial products of any significance were manufactured in England or its colonies. Washington asked his Treasury Secretary, Alexander Hamilton, what could be done about that, and Hamilton came up with an 11-point plan to foster American manufacturing, which he presented to Congress in 1791. By 1793, most of his points had either been made into law by Congress or formulated into policy by either President Washington or the various states, which put the country on a path of developing its industrial base and generating the largest source of federal revenue for more than a hundred years", writes serial entrepreneur, and America's leading progressive talk radio host, Thom Hartmann, in his visionary and provocative book Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country. Drawing on the ideas and achievements of Alexander Hamilton, the author describes his own eleven proven ways to rebuild the American economy, and to rebuild and strengthen the nation's middle class.

Thom Hartmann points out that American has entered a decline phase since 1980, and its once vaunted manufacturing sector has been decimated. Along with the loss of manufacturing, the American middle class has begun to shrink in size. With that decline in the middle class, the author writes that the United States is now a much less egalitarian society. He also notes that with the real decline in middle class wages, America has a weakened economy and the lowest level of social mobility in the industrialized world. With these sobering concepts in mind, Thom Hartmann offers what he considers to be reasonable and proven economic and political policies to revive the American economy. With that economic renewal, the middle class will increase in numbers and return to its position of the backbone of the American economy. Thom Hartmann's vision is one of a strong American economy, based on manufacturing and small business, that benefits all members of society.



Thom Hartmann (photo left) takes a careful examination of the economic history of the United States. Following the lead of Alexander Hamilton, the author proposes rebuilding the nation's industrial and manufacturing base through the introduction of tariffs. While controversial, and even anathema to free traders, the author describes their effectiveness in China and other countries where they have been adopted as policy. In effect, writes the author, China has adopted Alexander Hamilton's economic program. The eleven points recommended by Thom Hartmann run counter to the now conventional wisdom that took root in the Ronald Reagan Administration. The author describes those policies as not only destructive to the middle class and the economy, but are leading directly to the decline of the United States overall. The policies presented in the book, ranging from higher tax rates, to rebuilding small communities, to less reliance on imported oil, to enhancing affordable public education, to extending Medicare to everyone, to forcing members of Congress to display their funding sources, to ending illegal immigration, and ending the concept of corporate personhood. The end result of the adoption of the program, writes Thom Hartmann, is a stronger economy and less stratified society.

For me, the power of the book is how Thom Hartmann makes a bold and impassioned case for rebuilding the American economy. The eleven point program recommended by Thom Hartmann is a non-partisan plan. The ideas presented in the book have all been suggested by both Democrats and Republicans at one time or another. Where the author diverges from mainstream political platforms is his holistic approach to revitalizing the American economy. By creating an overall economic blueprint, in the same manner as Alexander Hamilton, Thom Hartmann goes beyond the typical political rhetoric, and the often much more specialized approach taken by mainstream economists. While the overall message of the book is progressive in nature, the policy proposals are backed by the real world experience of American history.

Thom Hartmann writes that his economic points have worked well in the past, and he believes firmly that they will work again. To achieve consensus acceptance and application of the eleven points, however, the author points out that Americans must get past the failed policies of the last three decades. Thom Hartmann considers Reaganomics and supply side theory to be a dismal failure. He points to the obvious dismantling of the American manufacturing base, as well as the shrinking of the middle class, as evidence. He goes much farther than most prescriptions, and proposes far reaching legislative, legal, and fiscal policy change. The author even suggests the co-operative business model, along with a revival of small independent business, as additional boosts to the overall economy. Whether a person agrees with Thom Hartmann's policy proposals or not, this book is without a doubt worth reading. It is one of those rare books that can even change a person's mind on various economic and legislative policy positions.

I highly recommend the important and very iconoclastic book Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country by Thom Hartmann, to anyone serious about rebuilding the American economy and strengthening and returning the middle class to its position of prominence in the United States. Regardless of a person's political or economic beliefs, this book is a must read, and will be an eye opening experience for the vast majority of Americans.

Read the impassioned and certain to be controversial book Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country by Thom Hartmann, and reconsider the proven policies and economy building concepts first proposed by Alexander Hamilton over two hundred years ago. These ideas built the United States into the most powerful country the world has ever known. Those same policies, writes Thom Hartmann, can provide the same spectacular economic growth again, if given the opportunity. This book is a call to action for all Americans.

Tags: Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country, Thom Hartmann, American economic renewal, economics book reviews.