Summary Of Saving Capitalism By Robert B. Reich

The book Saving Capitalism, written by Robert B. Reich, explains the current economic situation, theory’s behind worker’s and voter’s moral, and ways to make the American economy work for the many and not the few. Reich examines the effect of corporate influence on the economy. Large corporations tilting the market in a way that would benefit the top and not much else. The old protections which limit the influence of money in government have been undone. Landmark cases which served to limit the amount of money that can be thrown into government. All the money going into the policy system is making the system skewing toward the top. The new rules allow different forms of monopolies, new property rights, contracts, and bankruptcy. Large corporations …show more content…
They feel like they have no power. They feel like they deserve the pay they are getting from their job. While CEOs are making millions of dollars for running a company. Many of these CEO don’t need to work at all, but they make millions. People who are the “working poor “according to Reich feel like these CEOs are “worth” their pay. The working people once had the power to demand fair pay. The way they were able to get these powers was because of unions. Unions gave them the power to fight and own collective shares in the company they work for. Wall Street has made the impression that companies must work for the shareholders. Changing the perception of who Wall Street works for and the large corporations influence of the government has made a system that only favors the top one percent of the American people. Reich makes the point there isn’t really a choice of “free market” or “big” government. Government is there to make the rules of the game on the free market. Reich mentions people want of the poor to tax the rich. A good portion of the rich didn’t make or have to work for their …show more content…
Now people are thinking that there are only two choices in our economic system. You can ether choose the “free market” or government control of the market. However, there is a third option and Robert Reich has a touch on it in his book. We could have a market that is free but has governing rules to make sure people are treated fairly. Currently people who are working in low level jobs have no power to make their lives a little better. They can try to come together and form a union, but most of these people live paycheck to paycheck. These companies have made their employee take “at will” employment. Under this banner, the employer can let go of any person whenever they choice to. For example, I work for Target and we have a “at will” employment. In this contract is really does say that they can let me go for any reason. Reich mentions a way to counter. Reich says, “if the smaller players understood this dynamic, presumably they would seek to gain greater influence by allying themselves. This alliance, or set of alliances, would form the new countervailing power.” This movement is going on right now in the political election for the next president. I would say this movement is under way right now behind Bernie Sanders. Sanders is calling his movement a political revolution. He is gathering the small and having them join up to form a new alliance. Now I use alliance not to say that everybody