Bleakonomics A Heartwarming Introduction to Financial Catastrophe, the Jobs Crisis and Environmental Destruction

by Larson, Rob

• ISBN13: 9780745332680
• ISBN10: 0745332684
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-10-16
• Publisher: PLUTO PRESS

Summary

Invisible Sleight-of-Hand is a short and humorous guide to the three great crises plaguing today's world: environmental degradation, social conflict in the age of austerity and financial instability.*BR**BR*Written for anyone who is wondering how we've come to this point, Rob Larson holds mainstream economic theory up against the grim reality of a planet in meltdown. He looks at scientists' conclusions about climate change, the business world's opinions about its own power, and reveals the fingerprints of finance on American elections. *BR**BR*With a unique and engaging approach to each crucial subject, students, academics and activists will find a lot to appreciate in this quiet call-to-arms for a saner and more stable world.

Author Biography

Rob Larson teaches Economics at Tacoma Community College in Washington State. He is active with Occupy Tacoma and Jobs with Justice, and writes regularly for Dollars & Sense and Z Magazine.

Table of Contents

"I have been reading Rob Larson's columns for some time, with great profit and appreciation. His work is not only solidly grounded but also lucid and accessible, a most valuable contribution to public understanding and vitally needed action." – Noam Chomsky

"Larson adds a critical component to the policy debate about financial reform by explaining why the systemically dangerous institutions (SDIs) - the "too big to fail" banks - imperil our democracy as well as our economy. They are ticking time bombs certain to cause great damage unless we follow Larson's advice." – William Black, Associate Professor of Economics and Law, University of Missouri-Kansas City, author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One

"Whether illuminating the rapacious class war being waged by America's CEOs, the remarkably mindless degradation of the world's oceans, or the wishful thinking about the increasingly evident consequences of global warming, Rob Larson consistently brings powerful insights and a biting wit. Larson has a unique skill for translating complex economic and scientific analysis with both clarity and force. " – Roger Bybee, labor journalist

"Robert Larson's range of topics and accessible writing make this book an invaluable contribution to the critical task of connecting environmental degradation and overwhelming corporate power. A most readable and timely response to a central challenge of our times." – Mary Zepernick, a founder of the Massachusetts-based POCLAD, the Program on Corporations, Law, and Democracy

"Larson has the incredible ability to break down complicated economic data and facts and present what is really happening in easy and simple language, in a way that any busy working person can use in developing their own conclusions. Fact-driven, concise, interesting, and even funny - that's unusual for a book about economics, policies, and working people. " – Tom Szymanski, Organizer of IBEW Local 275