Reviews (Books & DVD) – Page 318 – Public Intelligence Blog

Most up-to-date and detailed “textbook” in this area,

January 1, 2004

Herman E. Daly

Edit of 21 Dec to add links.

Dr. Herman E. Daly may well be a future Nobel Prize winner …he is especially well-regarded in Norway and Sweden, where he has received prizes one step short of the Nobel. He is the author, co-author, or primary contributing editor of many books that fully integrate the disciplines of economics and ecology. I bought the three most recent for the purpose of selecting one to give out at my annual Global Information Forum. I ended up choosing For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future, in part because it is available in paperback and is not a more expensive “trade” publication; and in part because it is strong in laying out specific ecological policy areas in the context of a strong theological or ethical perspective. More on that in its own review.

Of the three books (the third one that I reviewed is Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics) this, the text-book, is assuredly the most up-to-date and the most detailed. If you are buying only one book for yourself, this is the one that I recommend, because these are important issues and a detailed understanding is required with the level of detail that this book provided. It should, ideally, be read with “Valuing the Earth” first (see my separate review of that book, from the 1970's updated with 1990's material and new contributions), then “For the Common Good”, and finally the text book as a capstone. But if you buy only one, buy this one.

Tables of contents rarely do justice to the contents but in this case, they excel. This is one of the most intelligent, structured, useful outlines it has been my privilege to examine. Read the Table of Contents information provided by the publisher to satisfy yourself. From Part I with three chapters (An Introduction to Ecological Economics) to Part II with 4 chapters (The Containing and Sustaining Ecosystem: The Whole) to Parts III and IV (Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, respectively, five and four chapters each) to Part V with four chapters (International Trade), and finally to Part VI (Policy) with chapters on General Policy Design Principles, on Sustainable Scale, on Just Distribution, and on Efficient Allocation, the content of the book is elegantly organized and accurately described.

Readings and other references make this a true textbook suitable for policy adults, graduate students, and undergraduates. It is the perfect single book in this field, not least because of its appreciation for religious vision and ethics as a foundation for making decisions that favor sustainable community over corporate greed and government fiat.

Dr. Joshua Farley as co-author appears to have brought a rich background as first an understudy and then an original contributor in his own right. God willing, America will one day have a President that uses the co-authors as primary advisors, along with E. O. Wilson, Brian Czech, and J. F. Rischard, among a handful I particularly respect. I feel a real sense of privilege in having discovered these three books and the work of Dr. Daly. At the age of 52, as I see America and the world inflamed by ideologues and crooks betraying the public trust, I cannot help but feel that those of us old enough and experienced enough to think for ourselves have a 20-year intellectual and moral battle ahead of us, one that will determine the future of the Earth. Anyone old enough to drive needs to read at least one of his books, but those of us old enough to feel fully equal to the task of confronting our sell-out Senators and sell-out Representatives need to arm ourselves with the specifics that Drs. Daly and Farley offer us, and join the battle for managing the commonwealth in favor of all of us.

2004/01/012009/12/04

Review: For the Common Good–Redirecting the Economy toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future

5 Star, Best Practices in Management, Economics, Environment (Solutions)

Ethical, Humanitarian, Communitarian, Sustainable,

January 1, 2004

Herman E. Daly

Edit of 21 Dec 07 to add links

Dr. Herman E. Daly may well be a future Nobel Prize winner …he is especially well-regarded in Norway and Sweden, where he has received prizes one step short of the Nobel. He is the author, co-author, or primary contributing editor of many books that fully integrate the disciplines of economics and ecology. I bought the three most recent for the purpose of selecting one to give out at my annual Global Information Forum. I ended up choosing this book to give away to hundreds, in part because it is available in paperback and is not a more expensive “trade” publication; and in part because it is strong in laying out specific ecological policy areas in the context of a strong theological or ethical perspective.

Of the three books I reviewed, (the newest Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications, the oldest, updated, Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics) the first, the text-book, is assuredly the most up-to-date and the most detailed. If you are buying only one book for yourself, that is the one that I recommend, because these are important issues and a detailed understanding is required with the level of detail that this book provided. It should, ideally, be read with “Valuing the Earth” first (see my separate review of that book, from the 1970's updated with 1990's material and new contributions), then this book (“For the Common Good”), and finally the text book as a capstone. But if you buy only one, buy the text book.

This is a second-edition work, updated from the 1984 first edition. I like it very much in part because it comes across as less academic and more common-sense in nature. Part One does a lovely job of tearing apart the fallacy of misplaced concreteness with respect to economics, the market, measuring economic success, the reduction of the human to a “good” that can be traded without regard to humanity and ethics and community, and land. Part Two gently introduces the reader to the many distinguished thought-leaders and practitioners who have gradually matured the discipline of economics to embrace humanity, community, and sustainability as non-negotiable realities that cannot be ignored.

Part Three, a major factor in my choosing this book over the others for broad pro-bono distribution, addresses the specifics of policies one element at a time: free trade versus community; population; land use; agriculture; industry; labor; income policies and taxes; from world domination to national security as an objective. Finally, Part Four, without being corny or preachy, describes the religious or ethical vision (I still think the Golden Rule works as a one-sentence definition of common interest).

An afterword on debt in relation to money and wealth is particularly timely as the American public foolishly allows the White House carpetbaggers to run up a $7 trillion deficit that our great-grandchilden will never be able to pay off if we continue is these evil and irresponsible directions, all in sharp opposition to the sensible and ethical constructs in this book.

Of the three books, none of which really duplicate one another in any negative way, albeit with overlaps, this is the second that I recommend for purchase, after the textbook.

2004/01/012009/12/04

Review: Valuing the Earth–Economics, Ecology, Ethics

5 Star, Best Practices in Management, Economics, Environment (Solutions)

A Treasure Chest–The Originals Plus the Current Masters,

January 1, 2004

Herman E. Daly

Edit of 21 Dec 07 to add links to more recent books that build on this.

This is one of three books that I bought for review with the intent of selecting one for broad pro-bono distribution. Although I chose “For the Common Good” and I recommend “Ecological Economics” as the one book to buy if you buy only one (see my reviews of those books at their own pages), this book is a treasure chest of original and current thinking that should certainly be in your hands if you can afford all three books. As another reviewer has noted, it finally re-publishes some of the hard to get original thinkers from the steady-state economics era of the 1970's. However, it does so with an ample leavening of 1990's authorship, and hence could reasonably be regarded as a first-class “readings” complement to the text book (“Ecological Economics”).

There is a chart on page 20 of this book that is quite extraordinary. Titled “The ends-means spectrum”, it brilliantly runs down from the top: Religion and Ethics as guidelines to ultimate and intermediate ends of humanity; to the middle Political Economy as a means of managing the factors of production to specific political ends; to the bottom: Technics and Physics as the “ultimate” foundation or “ground truth” of flow-entropy-matter-energy that must constrain political and religious ends.

This book, in which Kenneth N. Townsend is the second contributing editor-author, blends practical, political, economic, and theological writings, over several decades, in a most pleasing manner. E. F. Schumacher's “Buddhist Economics” jumped out at me, reminding me that our predominantly Protestant corporate capitalist ethos is very far removed from the realities that guide and repress billions around the Earth, all of whom have fewer options than we do. With that thought in mind, I strongly recommend William Greider's “The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy” as a very current complement to any of the books that Dr. Daly has helped bring into the marketplace of ideas.

2004/01/012009/12/04

Review: The Work of Nations–Preparing Ourselves for 21st Century Capitalism

4 Star, Capitalism (Good & Bad), Strategy

Incomplete but Original and Worthy of a Second Look,

January 1, 2004

Robert B. Reich

Edit of 21 Dec 07 to add links.

One reason I read only books I have bought (so that I may liberally mark them up) and tend to never discard a book, which is becoming a real problem in my basement, is because current reading will often lead one back to some gems and to a reestimation of earlier readings. Robert B. Reich's “The Work of Nations: Preparing Ourselves for 21st Century Capitalism” can be read with renewed appreciation and respect if one if also now reading William Greider's The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy or any of the books by Herman E. Daly (e.g. Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications).

I read Reich's Locked in the Cabinet, but this book remains a better gauge of his value to America, and I do hope we get a chance to hear from him again. If you have not read this book, it is a real bargain as a used book and you should buy it–Reich will remain relevant for decades to come.

Relevant books published since then:
The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism: How the Financial System Underminded Social Ideals, Damaged Trust in the Markets, Robbed Investors of Trillions – and What to Do About It
Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming
Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution
The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom
The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits (Wharton School Publishing Paperbacks)
Revolutionary Wealth: How it will be created and how it will change our lives

2004/01/012009/12/04

Review: Had Enough? A Handbook for Fighting Back

4 Star, Politics

Elegant, Missing Some Pieces, Great Bridge to the Future,

January 1, 2004

James Carville

Edit of 21 Dec 07 to add links.

Having reviewed, with appreciation, a number of the books that lambaste the extremist Republican carpetbaggers now in the White House (I am myself a moderate Republican who feels betrayed), I can say here that James Carville has done very, very well. He is vastly more elegant and politically focused than Al Franken, Jim Hightower, or Michael Moore, and dramatically easier to read than Paul Krugman, Matthew Crenson & Benjamin Ginsberg, or the cultural creative/new progressive/radical center readings (see Steele's List on Democracy & the Republic).

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right
Thieves in High Places: They've Stolen Our Country and It's Time to Take It Back
Dude, Where's My Country?
Peddling Prosperity: Economic Sense and Nonsense in an Age of Diminished Expectations
Downsizing Democracy: How America Sidelined Its Citizens and Privatized Its Public
We the People: An Introduction to American Politics, Sixth Shorter Edition

This is a double-spaced book with big print and small pages, but it does the job. James Carville may be a ragin' Cajun with a smart mouth and a weak bladder (read the book) but he clearly has three things going for him: a brain that is in gear before he talks or writes; good friends strong on both policy and research; and a gift for cutting to the chase. Where I would want to have five of my author-advisors putting together a 1 page summary and 5 page detailed review for each of the key policy areas, Carville manages to do in one book what none of the Democratic candidates–not Dean, not Gephardt–have done: he breaks George W. Bush's back with six strokes of the rod: 1) provide for the common defense (homeland insecurity, screwed up military and foreign policy); 2) provide for the general welfare (deficits and debts matter a lot, tax cuts are a huge lie); 3) secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and posterity (education, environment and energy, health care–and notice the emphasis in the Constitution on *posterity*, which is the opposite of carpet-bagging); 4) Establish justice (campaign finance reform, corporate governance, myth of tort reform); 5) insure domestic tranquility (why entitlements matter, notes on lying, the religious right, and friends); and finally, 6) form a more perfect union.

This is a quickie book, clearly tapping a multi-million person market for books that contain truth and oppose the impeachable activities of the extremists now looting America through their control of US government policy. It is a simplistic and imperfect book, but sufficient to persuade me that anyone who can muster 1000 brilliant experts covering the 250 critical policy and budget topics that must be mastered to win the general election, must, of necessity, have James Carville as the moderator and facilitator.

The book has several useful graphics, and among them two stand out: one on the changes in the opinion of billions of people around the world from before 9-11 to after three years of Bush in power; the other on the $980 billion–almost one trillion–in uncollected annual tax revenue from corporations that tell their stockholders one thing and the IRS another. I absolutely agree with this author that among our highest priorities must be our restoration of America as good neighbor and global friend to legitimate governments (that cuts out the 44 dictators still operating as looting pals of the Cheney-Bush-Perle regime); and the capture of the lost corporate revenue that could, with other savings, fully fund the most important national security investments: in our people, their health and education, and the restoration of legitimate democracy in America.

Perhaps most interestingly, Carville has avoided the rush to Dean that characterized myself and others who thought Dean would mature quickly and move from Amway parties to structured policy and outreach to all parties including moderate Republicans like myself. Carville cites George McGovern and Nancy Pelosi as special people, and I agree with the first. Pelosi has had her moments, but she has been a doormat in the anchor leg and I will never forgive her for taking impeachment off the table). He also highlights the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Citizens for Tax Justice as meriting special attention, and I only wish that George Soros has earmarked funds for these rather than for organizations that have been too quick to support Howard Dean and abandon a centrist non-partisan policy development position.

Buy this book. Read my other 435 or so reviews. And then, as Carville suggests, stop writing to your Senators and Representatives. Write instead to the editors of your local newspaper and start putting these people (Senators and Representatives) on the spot for betraying the public trust. Download the free NATO Open Source Intelligence Handbook (at oss.net or Google for it) and begin following Tom Atlee's concept for citizen wisdom councils. Take back the power, and don't wait for the Democrats to get their act together, it may be years.

2003/12/232009/12/04

Review: Al On America

5 Star, Biography & Memoirs, Culture, Research, Democracy, Politics

Leader with Specifics, with Dignity, with Persistence,

December 23, 2003

Reverend Al Sharpton

Edit of 21 Dec 02 to add comment and links.

New Comment: Oprah Winfrey has replaced Al Sharpton as the leader of black America, and while Barack Obama is a rising star and has already earned my vote, Al Sharpton is still, in my view, an essential voice and spirit. See links below for why.

Black Commentator noted in November that Al Sharpton has assumed the mantle of leadership for black America, and that it is highly likely that he will receive a majority of the black votes, at least in the South. For that reason alone, this book is *must reading* for every Democratic and non-Republican voter.

Below I summarize a few highlights from this rich book that took an afternoon to absorb:

1) Reverend Sharpton is strongest in his articulation of the hypocrisy of America, its lip service to slogans. I take him at face value when he speaks of the need to unite the country again around its values, and when he speaks of the emerging black/Latino coalition that resonates on the street level.

2) He lists some of his role models, and it merits comment that three of the four are pioneers of non-violence: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Ghandi. Later on the in book Reverend Sharpton discusses James Brown and Adam Clayton Powell as length, and I found his account of their merits and his lessons drawn from them to be compelling and credible.

3) Fidel Castro comes in for special mention, as do Ronald Reagan and Minister Louis Frarakhan, and I have to give Reverend Sharpton very high marks for directness and accuracy. Others, those with less integrity, might have left Fidel Castro out for fear of the kind of unethical attacks it might unleash against him from the extremist Republicans. I for one agree with Reverend Sharpton, as I agree with his view that the embargo against Cuba should be ended immediately.

4) He is powerful and convincing when he addresses the prison-industrial complex, a complex as threatening to America's long-term security and prosperity as the more well known military-industrial complex. As he points out, prisons are big business, and politicians on pay-offs have every incentive to keep pumping out contracts for major construction and related services including guard employment.

5) Reverend Sharpton is intellectual and emotional dynamite when he describes the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) as an anti-Rainbow Coalition organization, and Bill Clinton (and by extension, Joe Lieberman) as rich boys eager to stay to the right and reap the benefits, rather than true Democrats committed to delivering people from poverty. In brief, Al Sharpton has to run for President precisely because neither the DLC nor Dean are unwilling to reach out to and represent black America in the truest sense of the word. On this basis, I see Ralph Nader's 2000 campaign in a different light–Nader was campaigning for those that the DLC had shut out of the Democratic Process, and Al Gore was too slow to understand that he was leaving a very big crowd out of the big tent.

6) Reverend Sharpton impresses me on the foreign policy front. Although his experience is limited to foreign travels and specific interviews, his intellect and his gut instincts are totally consistent with the 430+ books I have reviewed on national security and international relations. Reverend Sharpton gets it: America has made many deals with the devil, with dictators like Saddam Hussein, with terrorists like bin Laden, and the American people do not realize that 9-11 is in fact the beginning of payback for decades of official US hypocrisy in its international relations.

7) Although very short on the topic, in my special area of interest, intelligence qua spies and secrecy, I give Reverend Sharpton the highest marks. He is the only Democratic candidate to really understand that we need “an intelligence unit that would allow us to really know what's going on out there in the world.” Reverend Sharpton is also committed to allies, investments in nation-building, and strong relationships nurtured over time. He also understands that you cannot threaten those who are not afraid to die suicidally, and that whipping out a bigger gun against them is precisely the wrong thing to do.

8) He focuses correctly on the internal dynamics of America as its greatest area of vulnerability, as the area most in need of attention if America is to be strong and prosperous. He correctly notes that the 30 percent increase in the US military budget in 2002 was *not* about making America safer, but about buying all the things that could not be rationalized before, and at the expense of domestic priorities such as health and education.

9) There are several chapters that offer up specific lists of initiatives that he would support, across many policy areas, and I find them all sensible. This is a man I could work for and follow.

10) I am satisfied that he puts the Tawana Brawley matter to rest with a chapter.

11) His chapters on black leadership, Jessie Jackson, why anti-Semitism is strongest in the Billy Graham-Richard Nixon crowd, and how the hip-hop movement is both wrong to be obscene and yet a major power in waiting, a power that can mobilize youth toward a more Christian vision, are quite fascinating, words that are not to be found anywhere else.

Bottom line, and I say this with the utmost respect, being scornful of most beltway politicians and bandits: Al Sharpton may have baggage and be a spendthrift in some ways, but when all is said and done, his voice absolutely must be fully and consistently heard as America charts its course into the future. Like Pat Buchanan, Sam Nunn, and a few others great voices that may never be President, Rev Sharpton has a depth of intuition, understanding, and experience that he has ably articulated in this book. We need to read it and we need to ask for his views in all major future decisions bearing on the security and prosperity of American's core black community and constituency, a community and constituency that too often in the past has been over-shadowed by new immigrant communities–Asians and Hispanics, for example. America cannot be great if its black community is not itself great. Rev Shapton stamds for this.

I notice from the tags that those who do not like this review appear to be literate but ignorant whites. As Michael Moore notes, it is the whites that have done the most damage to our economy and our society, and in my view, the Wall Street whites have finally realized the error of their ways, and Reverend Sharpton's views will receive a more respectful hearing, especially if we can all come together to elect Barack Obama as President in 2008.

2003/12/072009/12/04

Review: Winning Back America

4 Star, Politics

Great Stuff for the Masses–Need Second Book for the Serious,

December 7, 2003

Howard Dean

Updated 21 Dec 07 with links.

I was one of the first “substance experts” to believed that Dean could and should be President, and I remain very upset with the Democratic Party for sabotaging his chances.

This is a great book for the masses who want the stump speech in a very easy to read doubled-spaced form. Unfortunately, it reflects zero understanding of the real world (see my 400+ reviews of non-fiction national security books at Amazon) and it reflects zero understanding of the core issues that need to be dealt with in the US economy (see my review posted today of Robert Rubin's “In An Uncertain World”).

I still believe in Dean, but if he does not get his policy and outreach acts together at the substantive level, but Dean and his campaign manager gave policy substance short-shrift, and this is important *not* because of the details, but because it must be the foundation for creating a coalition government that integrates Independents, moderate Republicans, Greens, Reforms, Libertarians, and “Drop-Outs” (where Barack Obama is making great gains in 2007) into a united electorate that will a) work together in the open and modified primaries to overcome the Democratic Leadership Council bias in favor of beltway “suits” and b) work together in the general election to defeat the well-fended and often illegal endeavors of the Republican extremists, who are *not* playing by the rules and who believe they have a God-given right to steal the 2004 election just as they stole the 2000 election.

This is a fine book for those who want a quick “read” on Dean as a man and potential leader. It does *not* fill the bill for a serious book about integrated policy issues and an executable sustainable budget that addresses the needs of the vast majority of Americans who are not represented by the incumbent President, nor for that matter by the incumbent Democratic and Republican Senators and Representatives that have chosen to give the incumbent President a blank check for over-turning 50 years progress in multilateral global security, environmental and labor protection, public health and education, and civil rights.

Dean has his heart in the right place, and this book documents that. Now we need to read about where his head is at, and that will take another book entirely.

Category: Reviews (Books & DVD)

Review: Ecological Economics–Principles And Applications

Review: For the Common Good–Redirecting the Economy toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future

Review: Valuing the Earth–Economics, Ecology, Ethics

Review: The Work of Nations–Preparing Ourselves for 21st Century Capitalism

Review: Had Enough? A Handbook for Fighting Back

Review: Al On America

Review: Winning Back America