The Self-Made Myth And the Truth about How Government Helps Individuals and Businesses Succeed

by Miller, Brian; Lapham, Mike

• ISBN13: 9781609945060
• ISBN10: 1609945069
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781609945077, 9781609945084
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-03-05
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

This book challenges the by-bootstraps-alone narrative to offer a more holistic view of the success of America's business leaders and entrepreneurs. While acknowledging the importance of hard work, creativity, and leadership, it highlights several crucial, often unrecognized factors, with a particular emphasis on the ways government supports and assists individuals: public education, research and development grants, social services, roads and highways, laws and regulations that establish a stable business environment, and many more. Miller and Lapham explore the historic roots of the self-made myth and offer profiles of business leaders who, in their own words, identify the kinds of support and assistance that were crucial to their success. They also take apart the arguments of individuals like Donald Trump who have tried to perpetuate their own self-made myths. How we view the creation of wealth and individual success shapes our choices on taxes, public investments in schools and vital infrastructure, regulations, the legitimacy of extravagant CEO pay, and more. America can't more forward if we don't have a clear understanding of how wealth is actually produced.

Author Biography

Brian Miller is executive director of United for a Fair Economy (UFE), drawing on nearly twenty years as a community organizer, coalition leader, media spokesperson, writer, and nonprofit director. Mike Lapham is the project director, a cofounder, and a member of UFE's Responsible wealth project, a network of over 700 business leaders and wealthy individuals.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Foreword	p. xii
Preface	p. xiv
Introduction: Public Policy and the Success Narrative	p. 1
The Self-Made Myth	p. 2
Implications of the Self-Made Myth and the Anti-government Narrative It Supports	p. 7
The Buiit-Together Reality	p. 8
Implications of the Built-Together Reality and the Public Investment Imperative It Supports	p. 12
Digging Deeper	p. 13
The Self-Made Myth	p. 14
Origins of the Self-Made Myth	p. 14
Modern Myth and the Titans of Industry	p. 18
Fueling an Anti-government Narrative	p. 22
Busting the Myth	p. 25
Making the Invisible Visible	p. 25
Donald Trump: FHA Housing, Imminent Domain, and Bank Bailouts	p. 28
H. Ross Perot Sr.: Medicare, Medicaid, and the Right Connections	p. 31
Reality Check: Social Mobility and the Rags-to-Riches Story	p. 34
Koch Brothers: Money, Power, and Public Subsidies	p. 36
Summary: Cleaning the Slate	p. 39
The Built-Together Reality of Individual Success	p. 40
Roots of the Built-Together Reality	p. 40
Role of Individual Effort and Leadership	p. 41
Unequal Opportunities and Historical Timing	p. 42
Society's Contributions to Individual Success	p. 46
Stories of Success and the Common Good	p. 54
About the Profiles	p. 54
Jerry Fiddler: Public Support for Education Helped Get Me Where I Am	p. 56
Glynn Lloyd: Transportation and Food Safety Regulations Help My Business	p. 62
Reality Check: Highways and Transportation	p. 67
Thelma Kidd: Taxes Are Just the Price of Doing Business	p. 69
Warren Buffett: This Society Disproportionately Values What I Do Well	p. 73
Martin Rothenberg: My Success Was Paid For by Others	p. 76
Reality Check: Higher Education and Individual Success	p. 81
Kim Jordan: The Idea of a Self-Made Person Is a Stretch	p. 83
Anirvan Chatterjee: Leaving the Ladder Down behind Him	p. 88
Reality Check: Building the Internet	p. 93
Peter Barnes: Wealth Comes out of the Commons	p. 94
Amy Domini: Regulation Makes My Industry Possible	p. 98
Reality Check: Government Regulation in Finance	p. 103
Nikhil Arora: It Takes a Village to Raise a Business	p. 105
Ben Cohen: Holding the Business in Trust for the Community	p. 109
Gun Denhart: Healthy Communities Support Healthy Businesses	p. 114
Reality Check: Technical Innovation, Research, and Development	p. 118
Abigail Disney: Government Creates a Fertile Ground for Business	p. 120
Jim Sherblom: Regulation Makes It a Fair and Open Game	p. 124
Policy Implications and the Public Investment Imperative	p. 130
Shifting Perspectives and the Built-Together Reality	p. 130
A Note on the Role of Government	p. 135
Tax Policies for the Built-Together Reality	p. 138
Investing in America and Paying It Forward	p. 142
Ensuring That the Framework of the Economy Is Fair	p. 146
Conclusion: A Call to Action	p. 151
Using Your Voice	p. 151
Responsible Wealth in Action	p. 153
Notes	p. 156
Acknowledgments	p. 178
Index	p. 180
About the Authors	p. 189
Brian Miller	p. 189
Mike Lapham	p. 191
About Responsible Wealth	p. 193
About United for a Fair Economy	p. 195
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