Hightower, Jim
Average customer rating:
- Cohen explains my frustrations well
- Great book!
- Interesting read
- Review: Cable News Confidenial
- A must read!
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Cable News Confidential: My Misadventures in Corporate Media
Jeff Cohen
Manufacturer: Polipoint Press
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ASIN: 097606216X |
Book Description
Producer, pundit, and media critic Jeff Cohen offers a fast-paced romp through the three major cable news channels — Fox, CNN, and MSNBC — and delivers a serious message about their failure to cover the most urgent issues of the day. Propelled by amusing anecdotes featuring famous pundits and media personalities, Cable News Confidential highlights the foibles, hypocrisies, and absurdities Cohen witnessed at news organizations run by entertainment conglomerates.
Customer Reviews:
Cohen explains my frustrations well.......2007-04-24
A big thanks to Jeff Cohen for confirming that I'm not crazy. He "found inside cable news was a drunken exuberance for sex, crime and celebrity stories, matched by a grim timidity and fear of offending the powers-that-be -- especially if the powers-that-be are conservatives. The biggest fear is of doing anything that could get you, or your network, accused of being liberal." If you keep in mind, it's not news (never was), then it makes it easier to swallow. After reading Cohen's account, you realize that Walter Conkrite would never get hired today in the face of fools like Chris Matthews, Sean Hannity, and Biff O'Really.
Great book!.......2007-03-05
I really enjoyed reading this book, and highly recommend it to everyone...especially people who don't really understand what a joke this all is..and how it became to be such a complete farce and and absolute threat to Democracy and so many other things sane human beings 'round these parts cherish.
Interesting read.......2007-01-04
A good read. Although the book felt a little short - I guess I'm used to novels - Cohen does get through his points without a lot of extra, unneeded pages. Some good anecdotes and references, and kept the story going at a good pace. You probably won't read this cover to cover in one sitting, but it still works read over a period of time.
Review: Cable News Confidenial.......2006-11-11
An excellent insight into the inner workings of cable news. I had no prior understanding of the increadable bias that exists on cable TV news. I highly recomment this book!!!!
A must read!.......2006-11-10
For anyone who watches cable news, Jeff Cohen's book is essential reading. He reveals how much corporations that own news outlets shamelessly distort the news. I hold this up there with Howard Kurtz's 2000 book "The Fortune Tellers."
Cable news has harmed the world, and reading these books will show you one of many ways they do so.
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- Demand corporate accountability
- behind the hi tech glamour
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Challenging the Chip: Labor Rights and Environmental Justice in the Global Electronics Industry
Manufacturer: Temple University Press
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ASIN: 1592133304 |
Book Description
From Silicon Valley in California to Silicon Glen in Scotland, from Silicon Island in Taiwan to Silicon Paddy in China, the social, economic, and ecological effects of the international electronics industry are widespread. The production of electronic and computer components contaminates air, land, and water around the globe. As this eye-opening book reveals, the people who suffer the consequences are largely poor, female, immigrant, and minority. Challenging the Chip is the first comprehensive examination of the impacts of electronics manufacturing on workers and local environments across the planet.
Contributors to this pioneering volume include many of the world's most articulate, passionate and progressive visionaries, scholars and advocates. Here they not only document the unsustainable and often devastating practices of the global electronics industry but also chronicle creative ways in which activists, government agencies, and others have attempted to reform the industry—through resistance, persuasion, and regulation.
Customer Reviews:
Demand corporate accountability.......2007-02-03
"Challenging the Chip" by Ted Smith, David Sonnenfeld and David Naguib Pellow (editors) is a collection of essays on the labor and environmental problems of the electronics industry. The thirty-plus contributors to the book were connected through a series of symposiums wherein this ambitious project was conceptualized. By describing their shared experiences, the authors succeed in articulating why the public must demand corporate accountability in order to gain economic and environmental sustainability.
The editors merit praise. The book contains over 25 articles but contains no weak material. The writers seem to have expressed a high degree of collegiality by voluntarily subjecting their work to extensive peer review, criticism and revision. The result is a remarkably even and high-quality series of essays that are characterized by ample research, insight and analysis. The editors also supply excellent introductions and expertly frame the key issues that are discussed in each section of the book.
The first section is titled, 'Global Electronics'. Seven articles describe how the production and distribution of electronics are organized on a global scale. We learn that multinational corporations tend to avoid social responsibility by exploiting workers in poor nations with either lax or non-enforced labor and environmental laws such as China, India, Thailand and more recently, countries in Eastern Europe. Oftentimes, the most vulnerable workers are subjected to subsistence wage relations without union representation and exposure to occupational health hazards without protection or compensation when illness ensues. This grim reality is in stark contrast to the manipulated media images that are projected to consumers by the relatively small number of major corporations who control the supply chains that tie these far-flung operations together.
The second section is 'Environmental Justice and Labor Rights'. Nine articles written by local activists and scholars drill in-depth into environmental and labor issues at the local level. We learn that the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition first brought widespread attention to the e-waste problem and the widespread use of toxic chemicals in the semiconductor manufacturing process, subsequently blowing the lid off the self-serving but deceptive image of this supposedly 'clean' industry. Other noteworthy stories include how IBM hid data from workers about known cancer risks at their factories; the activist community of Silicon Glen in Scotland and its struggle to protect worker health; the deleterious effects of the NAFTA agreement on pollution and degraded working conditions in Mexico; worker struggle and environmental exploitation in Taiwan; and more. Among many insights offered, these articles suggest that profitability is built upon a strategy of state protection that allows the industry to shed responsibility and externalize many unwanted costs onto others.
The final section is on the topic of 'Electronic Waste and Extended Producer Responsibility'. Eight articles discuss the factors driving the increase in e-waste and how the costs of disposal are increasingly borne by the poor. The authors inform us that while nations within the EU and Japan have taken steps to regulate e-waste and thereby encourage smarter product design and recycling programs, the U.S. has lagged far behind, often preferring to dump its garbage in landfills or export to poor countries where obsolete equipment is dismantled under hazardous conditions. However, the inspiring story about the 'toxic dude' campaign organized against Dell illustrates that public pressure can succeed in changing the behavior of some U.S. corporations, however modestly.
I highly recommend this insightful and timely book to activists, students and everyone else interested in learning more about an increasingly urgent problem.
behind the hi tech glamour.......2006-10-10
The editors take a peek behind the hitech glamour of the semiconductor industry. It is one of the most global of industries, with factories dispersed widely. But the book shows that working conditions can be hazardous at times. The reagents used in production are often highly reactive. One chapter on occupational safety describes many of these reagents, and studies done at various fabs. Notably, at IBM's, from which several researchers have looked at cancer rates and the effects on the reproductive abilities of female workers. Especially since fabs and assembly lines tended to favour hiring females.
Other chapters look at factories in Thailand, eastern Europe and India. The working conditions can sometimes be harsh, with many petty rules that severely circumscribe workers. Strikes have often resulted at the worst factories.
Overall, the book is a thoughtful counterpoint to IT's public image.
Average customer rating:
- Let's Stop Bashing Bush
- Let's Stop Beating Around the Bush
- Any criticism of current office-holders is "hate"?
- It's about time !
- Hightower in rare form!!
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Let's Stop Beating Around the Bush
Jim Hightower
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ASIN: B000EHRN22 |
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Author Jim Hightower is not, as the title of his recent book about the George W. Bush administration indicates, a fan of equivocation. "The Bushites are--let me put this politely as I can--NUTS!" he writes, "They're insane. They're zealots totally dedicated to implementing their plutocratic, autocratic, militaristic, and imperialistic vision of America." The chapters in Hightower's book are prefaced by a series of reasons Bush fans may give for supporting the President followed by blistering and often highly entertaining refutations of those reasons. However, Hightower phrases the pro-Bush reasons to sound as boneheaded as possible, thus giving himself an easier time shooting them down. Meanwhile his down-home humor and polemical wackiness can be tiresome, occasionally getting in the way of efforts to clearly make a point. But don't be fooled by the wackiness: Hightower has done his homework and presents disturbing evidence of the dangers of Bush policy, particularly in the areas of food safety, personal privacy, and the environment. Unlike many on the left, he largely avoids the war in Iraq and the reasons given by the Bush administration for fighting it but that focus on domestic life helps Hightower avoid the pitfall of attacking everything Bush has ever done and being left to spend only a limited amount of time on each. Let's Stop Beating Around the Bush was published in July of 2004 just as the presidential election was heating up and it is very much a book of the moment, featuring references to the need to win the election and attempting to give those who oppose Bush some talking points for when they talk to those who support him. Neither those talking points nor this book are likely to change any minds but Jim Hightower's humor and energy provide are welcome in an election season. --John Moe
Book Description
America in 2004 is color coded—and it's not just a matter of red, white, and blue. The terror alert bounces from yellow to orange. The economy offers up a hundred shades of red ink. The environment is turning brown. National security is cloaked in gray shadows. And Jim Hightower covers it all with uncommon insight, political fearlessness, and laugh-out-loud humor.
America's #1 populist gives us Let's Stop Beating Around the Bush—a hard- hitting, fact-filled review of the real state of the union that you won't get from the establishment media. With his daily radio commentaries and award-winning monthly newsletter, no one has chronicled the madness of King George the W, the wimpiness of corporate Democrats, and the aggressive avarice of Wall Street with the thoroughness and tenacity of Hightower. Now he brings that investigative punch into this wild and woolly book of fiery essays.
With his satirical “Six Perfectly Good Reasons to Re-elect George W. Bush;” his mix of damning indictments and uplifting stories; and side bars, cartoons, games, and puzzles, Hightower has done the impossible: He has created a subversive read that makes politics fun again.
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"The bestselling grassroots guru is back with his incisive take on the state of the union and life today in the good ol' USA America in 2004 is color coded-and it's not just a matter of red, white, and blue. The terror alert bounces from yellow to orange. The economy offers up a hundred shades of red ink. The environment is turning brown. National security is cloaked in gray shadows. And, as he did in the bestselling Thieves in High Places, Jim Hightower covers it all with uncommon insight, political fearlessness, and laugh-out-loud humor. America's #1 populist gives us Let Stop Beating Around the Bush-a hard-hitting, fact-filled review of the real state of the union that you won't get from the establishment media. With his daily radio commentaries and award-winning monthly newsletter, no one has chronicled the madness of King George the W, the wimpiness of corporate Democrats, and the aggressive avarice of Wall Street with the thoroughness and tenacity of Hightower. Now he brings that investigative punch into this wild and woolly hook of fiery essays. With his satirical "Six Perfectly Good Reasons to Re-elect George W. Bush;" his mix of damning indictments and uplifting stories; and side bars, cartoons, games, and puzzles, Hightower has clone the impossible: He has created a subversive read that makes politics fun again."
Customer Reviews:
Let's Stop Bashing Bush .......2006-03-28
Jim Hightower needs to quit stabbing people in the back. That is not how you solve America's problems. Another piece of pure fiction from a Michael Moore wannabee.
Let's Stop Beating Around the Bush.......2006-02-22
Enjoying the lifting of the veil from an extremeley dangerous individual.The material is all in the public domain but this places it between two covers. The subject should probably be secured in a locked ward at St. Elizabeth's Hospital.
Any criticism of current office-holders is "hate"?.......2005-05-05
There are no perfect sides to take in politics. We can only fulfill our obligation to this country and our fellow countrymen by being inquisitive, willing to listen, and being able to make up our own minds without the need to lambaste others who do not share our 'family values' or belief in the current 'plutocracy'.
Before we get our panties in a twist over a dissenting voice perhaps we should do some research on the author, his experience, his justifications, and make an intelligent, correctly spelled retort, or commendation. Jeez, as far as I know, it's still a free country, unless the 'hatred' perceived by the rabid right shuts down dissent altogether.
It's about time !.......2005-04-02
Especially after this tragic election in which Bush and GOP won, as a true conservative, I can't blame Jim Hightower for poking fun at the current neo-cons who have given us good conservatives a bad rap. If you're a non-conservative, you shouldn't have trouble getting a few laughs from it. For you conservatives out there who are tired of the current neocons taking you for granted by exploiting the macho weakness, read this book and learn to stop beating around the bushes but instead sledgehammer the neocons and get the last laugh. And I say the same to liberals and moderates who are sick and tired of being called weak !
Hightower in rare form!!.......2004-12-13
Hightower pulls no punches in this witty and insightful look at GW and his policies. The cartoons are hilarious. If you're already a fan of Hightower's weekly coloums then this will be right up your alley. If you're not a fan then this book will easily make you one.
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War on Waste: Can America Win Its Battle With Garbage?
Louis Blumberg , and Robert Gottlieb
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ASIN: 0933280912 |
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A comprehensive analysis of the solid waste problem and the major alternatives for a solution to the crisis.
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- Essential handbook of American politics
- You have to be the change
- Good grief! Don't let morality interfere with profiteering!
- awesome book
- Give 'em Hell, Hightower!
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There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road but Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos: A Work of Political Subversion
Jim Hightower
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
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ASIN: 0060929499 |
Book Description
<CENTER>Revised, and with a New Introduction by the Author</CENTER>
<BLOCKQUOTE>"I am an agitator, and an agitator is the center post in a washing machine that gets the dirt out."<BR>--Jim Hightower</BLOCKQUOTE>
Hightower is mad as hell and he's not going to take it anymore! He's also funny as hell, and in this book he focuses his sharp Texas wit, populist passion, and native smarts on America's political, economic, scientific, and media establishments. In There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos, Hightower shows not only what's wrong, but also how to fix it, offering specific solutions and calling for a new political movement of working families and the poor to "take America back from the bankers and bosses, the big shots and bastards."
<BLOCKQUOTE>"If you don't read another book about what's wrong with this country for the rest of your life, read this one. I think it's the best and most important book about out public life I've read in years." <BR>--Molly Ivins, author of Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?
"When do we get to vote for Jim Hightower for president? Will somebody please tell me? When do we get to vote for Jim Hightower for president?."<BR>--Michael Moore, author of Downsize This!
"Listen to Jim Hightower. His is a two-fisted, rambunctious voice unafraid to speak truth to power, eloquently and clearly...He's one of the best." <BR>--Studs Terkel</BLOCKQUOTE>
Customer Reviews:
Essential handbook of American politics.......2006-01-04
Agree or disagree, this book takes you through all the madness of politics since the rise of Clinton - yes, Clinton. Though Hightower is a populist liberal, he takes Clinton to task for being complicit in the gradual decline of the people's voice in government, bowing instead to corporate interests who want everything from tax-deductible CEO salaries (ever wonder why they were so high?) to looser regulations on the food we eat (recent food poisoning cases come to mind). If you're a Republican, you can't blame this book on a Bush-bashing mentality. Democrats have their problems too.
You have to be the change.......2005-04-29
In this book, Hightower mainly goes over corporate greed and how our politicians will cut social programs (that especially effect the elderly and poor), but will keep increasing corporate welfare. He also makes fun of Clinton, Limbaugh and a few others.
More than the politicians though, I blame the American people because most people simply do not pay attention. Recently a survey was given to people who voted in the 2004 Presidential election and 70% of Americans couldn't even name one bill that Congress has passed since January. 70% - and that is the people who voted in the last election, 79 million citizens over the age of 18 didn't even vote. That just gives you a feel for the level of political apathy in this country.
Here is some information from the book:
- The real cause of breast cancer can be linked to harmful chemicals which are dumped by companies.
- Our taxdollars subsidize products being advertised to Japan, or outsourcing jobs to Puerto Rico!
- Basically our media is propoganda for corporations.
This is a entertaining book and Hightower makes it easy for people to understand government policy. I would recommend "Thieves in High Places" over this book though because it is more current :0) Also you can visit www.jimhightower.com if you would like too see some current news or things he is working on.
Good grief! Don't let morality interfere with profiteering!.......2004-09-18
Nobody is safe from the sharpened teeth and wit of this political watchdog, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
Though "Armadillos" is an older book, published in 1997, it is still valid today. And those of you who think he's swinging too hard at Pres. Bush will enjoy watching his energy focused on Clinton, who was Pres then.
This is what I mean when I say Jim Hightower is not necessarily anti-Bush; he is anti corporateering and pro working-citizens. He will aim his sights at anyone, regardless of partisan politics, and expose their greedy, pork-filled underbellies.
"Armadillos" is divided into five basic sections; Class War, The Media, Pollution, and Politics.
In Corporateworld, Hightower exposes such big-money deceptions as Corporatized Medicine. While we sit back and debate whether or not socialized medicine is a worthwhile route, the HMO's and Corporations have taken over our health care to line their own pockets and serve no one but themselves. Also note his timeline comparisons to the old Robber Barons, and the similarities of today's working place. And watch out NAFTA, Hightower is on to you!
In Class War, Hightower emphasizes the growing chasm between the filthy rich and the working-class right here in America. Fortunately, anything this top heavy must eventually topple over, especially when their supporting base becomes unstable. (translate to unhappy and no longer willing to hold them up) Of particular note in this chapter is Hightower's revisiting the origins of our holiday, Labor Day; by itself this makes the chapter Class War shine.
In The Media, Hightower exposes the media bias long before "Out-foxed" was ever made. Anyone remember the 1994 "Telecommunications Deregulation" bill that was supposed to create more competition in the telephone and cable choices we everyday citizens have? How many choices do you have now? If you are like me, there is One Mega-Monster provider that services your area and that is that. I still have no choice and I'm paying 10 times what I used to.
Pollution is the best chapter in the book. Here, Hightower charges in, no holes barred, and shows up the corporate greed, incompetent government agencies, and fat-belly back scratchings that are keeping this country polluted and compromising our health everyday. From meat-packing to organochlorines, no polluter is safe. I have recently read a very disturbing book called "Slaughterhouse" by Gail Eisnitz, and here in "Armadillos" Hightower proves that what Ms. Eisnitz exposed has been going on for a very long time.
Taking a huge risk here, Hightower even stands up against the "feel good" events such as the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. How dare he attack such a noble and gentle association? Because the sole funding source of BCAM is Zeneca Group, a huge multibillion-dollar corporation named in a 1990 lawsuit for dumping DDT and PCB's into Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors. What, you say? Zeneca produces cancer causing, chlorine based pesticides, most of which are dumped into our environment, then has the nerve to tell us women that its our "fatty diets" or our "lifestyles" causing our illnesses. To put icing on top of this putrescent cake, Zeneca also owns a pharmaceutical company that produces a treatment drug for breast cancer. Give it to `em, then charge `em to try and cure it.
During the next BCAM campaign, watch to see if any mention is made to organochlorines and their links to cancer. You won't find any.
The last chapter, Politics, sounds more volatile but is actually a gentle sliding out of the book. Making more and more sense, Hightower warns us that instead of being so partisan, we need to question the ethics of each and every candidate, especially where their monetary interests are.
"Armadillos" is still in tune with the problems of this country, and what I really like about him is that he points out ways for the reader to fight back, so you are not left all riled up with no comb in your hand.
His humor is both sharp and refreshing, and he infuses it heavily into his written works, making palatable even the most horrible of subjects. One of my favorite ideas of his is the Candidate Stickers; just like racecar drivers wear patches and stickers showing their sponsors, so should our politicians. Hightower paints a very funny picture of a debate with sticker-covered candidates, the only part that is not so funny is that while we argue party against party, the candidates are wearing the same corporate logos on their 1K suits.
Hightower uses extensive reference to real occurances here, naming bills and corporations, providing dates, and showcasing the organizations that are making a difference. This is a great book for those just becoming politically aware, and for old veterans of the partisan wars alike. Hightower's witty prose and down-home humor actually make politics a fun read. Enjoy!
awesome book.......2003-08-22
hightower is absolutely hilarious. Being from Austin, Texas, this book is even more incredible to hear the tales again of what goes on here, but from a more truthful perspective than the media. Unlike some "conservative" authors, Hightower criticizes the entire system that's got us where we are- including the democratic party.
Give 'em Hell, Hightower!.......2003-02-14
I voted for Jim Hightower (for Land Commissioner or something like that) way back when I'd just turned 18 and was able to vote for the first time. I'm very glad to see he's still fighting for the little guy. I live abroad, and whenever anyone asks where home is, I always used to proudly say, "Texas!" These days, it's getting harder and harder to be proud. At least with Bush the First, we could say, "Well, he's not really a Texan." But Junior...well, there's really no denying it, is there? He embodies every negative stereotype of the Texas millionaire.
But when I read Hightower, I remember all the good things about Texas, and about America, too. People like Jim Hightower and Molly Ivins make me proud to be a Texan and an American--people who cut through the lies and take on the big boys without a drop of fear in their hearts...just because it's the right thing to do.
Average customer rating:
- A Good Job Showing How Corrupt the U.S. Government Is
- Who Stole This Country in the First Place?
- It's the Corporations Stupid
- only $4.99!!!
- High times for corporate crimes
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Thieves in High Places: They've Stolen Our Country and It's Time to Take It Back
Jim Hightower
Manufacturer: Plume
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ASIN: 0452285658
Release Date: 2004-06-29 |
Amazon.com
Author, populist, and radio commentator Jim Hightower is nothing if not direct. In Thieves in High Places, Hightower lambastes the current American power structure and exhorts his readers to fight against it. Hightower's indignation runs deep in this "us versus them" exposé of corporate malfeasance, governmental abuse, the militarization of American society, and the Bush administration's empire building. In the first part of the book, Hightower illustrates how the Bush administration and Congress work with major corporations (including our nation's vast media conglomerates) to add to their obscene wealth at the expense of America's working class, our environment, and (most lamentably) our rights and liberties. "The elites have pulled off a slow-motion coup, radically wrenching America's power balance from a people's democracy to Kleptocrat Nation." </p> Hightower defines "Kleptocrat Nation" as "a body of people ruled by thieves...a government characterized by the practice of transferring money and power from the many to the few...[and] a ruling class of moneyed elites that usurps liberty, justice, sovereignty, and other, democratic rights from the people." His catalogue of corporate greed and governmental complicity is breathtaking in scope, and though he admits that the fusion of business and government is not new, he persuasively states that "never have so few done so much for so few." Unfortunately, Hightower's serious message is delivered in such a "down home" style, it may lose its impact on the more brainy among us. Also, one wishes there were more documentation for the copious examples and facts in the book. Still, Hightower's call to action is sincere, and his descriptions of the triumphs of average people over corporate power might give some fledgling activists some hope. Thieves in High Places urges Americans to reclaim control of our government--Hightower thinks we can with community organization and grass-roots movements. However, judging from his description of the current power structure, we are going to need all the help we can get. -- Silvana Tropea
Book Description
In Thieves in High Places, Jim Hightower takes on the Kleptocrats, Wobblycrats, and Bushites with hilarious results. Digging up behind-the-scenes dirt on stories the corporate news media overlooks (and don't get him started on them!), Hightower reveals the real stories behind BushCo's “Friday Night Massacres,” what's happened to our food, and the Bush plan for empire.
With grassroots solutions, drawing on Hightower's national Rolling Thunder Down- Home Democracy Tour—a traveling festival of rebellion against every tentacle of the corporate-politico power grab—Hightower is tapping into the activist network that is thriving at kitchen tables all over America. This is the real America the rest of the world doesn't get to see, delivered with Hightower's own hilarious brand of wit and outrage.
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"America listens to Jim Hightower. More than eighty thousand people subscribe to The Hightower Lowdown Newsletter while his radio show is aired on more than sixty public and commercial radio stations. In Thieves in High Places, he takes on the Bushites, the Wobblycrats, and the corporate Kleptocrats, digging up behind-the-scenes dirt that the corporate media overlooks-like BushCo's ""Friday Night Massacres,"" what's happened to our food, and the Bush plan for empire. But the book also offers grassroots solutions, drawing on Hightower's Rolling Thunder Down-Home Democracy Tour, a traveling festival of rebellion against every tentacle of the corporate-politico power grab. At kitchen tables all over America, Hightower has tapped into the thriving activist networks that are our country's grassroots muscle, and his book tells their uplifting stories of retaking control of their communities. This is the real America that the rest of the world doesn't get to see. With his unique blend of wit and outrage, Jim Hightower ""lights a prairie fire""-and it's just the spark that his growing national audience craves."
Customer Reviews:
A Good Job Showing How Corrupt the U.S. Government Is.......2006-07-09
Tho the book does a good job showing how bad the U.S. Government is, and it also advocated overthrowing it in clever ways, like by referring to the Revolutionary War, it falls short in that it gives no solution as to how to make the government better in the long run, but rather how to make short term changes, and is vague about how to do that as well. The main problem is that the author seems leaves God out of the picture.
Who Stole This Country in the First Place? .......2006-03-15
Jim Hightower has become another spokesman for the unhappy left. This limousine liberal who lives in Texas and poses blue collar, is now complaining about "trailer trash rednecks" who have taken his country from him. Since when was this Hightower's country? Yet so many misguided people are giving this book four or five star reviews. Why does this even deserve one star? Just like all the other liberal socialists, Hightower complains about dog-eat-dog economic corporations, the religious right, and capitalism. He has decided not to support Bush in the war on terrorism against Osama bin Laden, Zarkawi and his evil thugs. How dare he do such a thing.
And second, who has stolen this country. NO ONE! I am sick of people saying that Bush stole the election. Rubbish! Bush may have not won the popular vote in the 2000 presidential election but he won the electoral vote. Gore may have won the popular vote but he did not win the electoral vote. The presidential candidate who wins the electoral vote wins the election. That is what our founding fathers decided. Bush did not steal the election.
And about the Republican-controlled Congress. Congress is ruled by Republicans not because they stole their way there. But because they were elected by the people. The American people decided to elect Republicans in Congress. There is no way that the Republicans have stolen the government. It's nonsense!
Please take my advice and don't waste your money on this trashy book. Go to college and get an education in political science. I would only buy this book if I wanted something to destroy. But I would not buy this book because I am not giving Jim Hightower one cent of my money. And also because this book is not worth one cent of my money.
It's the Corporations Stupid.......2005-09-19
Though no one will just come out and call it what it is, Jim Hightower comes the closest to saying, "Our government is being corrupted by public corporations and these corporations must be regulated." "Thieves in High Places" is written in Hightower's humorous, down-home Texas voice, but the book is deadly serious and Hightower exposes the destructiveness of unregulated corporate greed better than anyone I have read yet. There are the usual exposés of corporate and governmental corruption, they spew one after another like soot from an SUV's exhaust pipe, bringing on anger and then rage and then a feeling of helplessness, but Hightower includes stories of everyday people who have challenged and defeated the corporations, how they did it, where they did it, and how you can join up to do it yourself. This is refreshing; it's good to know that people can-and do-still win. And then there's the humor, that essential Texasness that was endearing before our current president grabbed his carpet bag and moved to Washington (note: our president is from Connecticut, not Texas, so, historically, this metaphor is accurate).
Here's the bottom line: public corporations have only one goal-to make money. Nothing wrong with that except that corporations are not people and cannot be threatened with jail time if they transgress. Are you a noble CEO? Do you want to do right in the world? Well, if Wal-Mart tells you to close all of your American factories and move your production to the sweatshops of China, and you refuse, and your stock falls because Wal-Mart won't buy your products anymore, and your shareholders ask for your termination, so you close all of your American factories and move your production to the sweatshops of China, are you a bad person? Well yeah, but it's the system that led you to it, like the poverty that makes some poor people steal. Laws haven't stopped poor people from stealing, and laws, even if enforced, won't stop CEOs from stealing either. What we have to do is manage poverty through government programs and manage corporate theft through government regulation.
"We the People", conservatives. Our government was created before you were born, so just suck it up.
only $4.99!!!.......2005-08-16
Found copies of this in Barnes & Noble's "Bargain" section yesterday (8/14/05). Go there for a deal!
High times for corporate crimes.......2005-07-28
Jim Hightower is three things: funny, smart, and looking out for us, the average person. Three excellent qualities that help reach us as the readers, and then simultaneously show us our reality. That reality is that corporations are running America.
Yes, we have our doubts, but honestly Hightower sets up this scary truth quite well. For example, who did you think was more similar Bush/Gore/Kerry. Sure they have their differences, but maybe Nader isn't as crazy as he seems in blurring them together. Luckily, as Hightower shows us there is also hope, but I don't want to ruin the book for you by sharing all of the anecdotes. Nope, I'm mostly above that.
So instead just realize what's happening today in our world. I mean if you're a liberal then you've even heard conservatives complaining about the same kind of stuff (although these are traditionally the middle-to-lower class conservatives.) And conservatives, you know you've heard liberals address these issues many times. So I think this portrays a common and urgent message of self-realization, which Hightower highlights for us quite well.
It's time to take our country back.
Average customer rating:
- Outspoken Populism from a Disgusted Texan
- Hysterically funny but should be taken seriously
- I'm giving out copies to my family and friends
- Required Reading
- great book!
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If the Gods Had Meant Us to Vote They Would Have Given Us Candidates
Jim Hightower
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
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Liberal populist Jim Hightower has a knack for naming books; before If the Gods Had Meant Us to Vote... came There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road but Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos. Even the chapter titles of the current volume reveal Hightower's way with words as well as they underscore his themes: "Some Say We Need a Third Party, I Wish We Had a Second One" and "Plutocracy Is Not Government by a Far-Off Planet." Hightower speaks for angry, disaffected Americans who view both Democrats and Republicans as sleazy money-grubbers who do the bidding of wealthy multinational corporations. He is one of the sharpest voices on the Left, and also a very funny one. Even right-wingers will find themselves laughing at some of his jokes, and the Pat Buchanan set may see a few points of agreement. Ultimately, though, If the Gods Had Meant Us to Vote... isn't a book for conservatives, but for liberals who feel that not even the Democratic Party can represent them in the era of Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Hightower's enthusiasm is contagious: "Hey, let's gut it up, decamp from Washington, put our resources in the countryside, slug the corporate bastards right in the snout, and get it on with a grassroots politics that gives regular folks a reason to be excited and get involved." Readers already inclined toward these views will be eager to join Hightower's crusade by the time they finish his energetic book. --John J. Miller
Book Description
If anything, in this presidential election special, he's madder than ever!
In his earlier bestseller, There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road but Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos, Hightower only began to tap into the deep yearning that Americans have for a new politics that speaks to them from a real-world, kitchen-table perspective. Now, with the year 2000 being an especially significant marker for contemplating our country's direction, not only for the new year but for the new century and the new millennium, it's time for citizens to reclaim their political, economic, and cultural heritage.
Leading the way with his hilariously irreverent yet profoundly serious book is our name-naming, podium-pounding, point-them-in-the-right-direction populist, Hightower himself. He whacks conventional wisdom right upside the head,showing,with startling facts and compelling personal stories, that despite a so-called period of prosperity, America's middle class is getting mugged, and that far from being ordained by the gods,globalization is globaloney! Hightower rips the mass off of the candidates, the parties, the consultants, and especially the moneyed powers whoa re supporting all of the leading presidential hopefuls. he's mad about them all--but what he's maddest about, what really gets his goat,is that they are all the same! To paraphrase Jim, American politicians are alike because they don't come cheap. In fact, they're all very expansive. which is why only the rich can own them and why their allegiance is definitely not to regular,worka-day citizens.
No one is spared in this insightful and engaging blend of horror and success stories, hard-hitting commentary, laugh-out-loud humor, useful facts, and sparkling language. An equal opportunity muckraker and conscientious agitator for "We the people," Hightower inspires us to take charge again, to build a new politics, and, together, to build a better tomorrow. Jim Hightower's If the Gods Had Meant Us to Vote They Would Have Given Us Candidates proves yet again that his is a uniquely wise and peerlessly singular voice in the maelstrom of political prattle.
Customer Reviews:
Outspoken Populism from a Disgusted Texan.......2004-06-03
Jim Hightower is a man with a mission. He is disgusted with the two- party system and he was repulsed by the choices presented by the two major parties in the 2000 elections, Bush and Gore. He is tired of watching politicians at all levels sell themselves out for corporate cash. He wrote this book as a guide to the corruption that exists in politics and what you and I can do to stop it.
Hightower was once an elected official himself, so he is experienced with the world of politics and how it operates. In this book, he explains how different the parties of today are compared to those of the past- particularly Democrats, whom Hightower feels could be counted on in the past to support populist causes but who no longer seem to care about anything but money. He talks about the problem of campaign financing and the need for reform. He shows how groups like the World Trade Organization and NAFTA have damaged the economy of the United States by favoring a few large corporations to the detriment of the common man.
I like Hightower's outspoken style and his demand to return to a government of self- rule for the people. However, there are a few instances in the book where he seems to get a little off- track when he delivers his populist message. For one thing, Hightower seems to have a strong and undeniable envy toward anyone with more money than himself, and he seems to think that all rich people are wicked and deserving of punishment. He seems to think the same of most corporations, even though a large percentage of companies are good corporate citizens. Some of his economic analysis is also a little shady, as he attempts to define how the economy can and should function to better ensure that the underprivileged are properly taken care of.
Hightower uses humor throughout this book to help hold his audience and keep them interested in reading more. He doesn't go over the line, like some other political authors are known to do. Hightower does take stabs at specific individuals, but he manages to keep things on a civil level, without getting too nasty or too personal.
With the types of candidates that the Dems and Repubs have been nominating lately, it's not surprising that so many voters are becoming disillusioned with the American political process. Jim Hightower is one of these people who is fed up, and he makes his views known in this book. "If the Gods had Meant us to Vote" is not a perfect volume of political analysis. But it does contain some useful information and some funny lines from Jim Hightower, America's most popular populist.
Hysterically funny but should be taken seriously.......2004-04-06
This is a book everyone should read. With an incredibly sharp wit, Hightower shows just how undemocratic our "democracy" has become and how much of our lives are dictated by corporate America. The chapter on globalization is a must read. Even though it was written before Bush was elected in 2000, everything he writes is still relevant, even more so.
I'm giving out copies to my family and friends.......2004-01-17
I had never heard of Jim Hightower before reading this book. I wasn't even sure I was going to like it. To be honest, I didn't even know what a populist was. Well, all of that changed. I learned so much from this book. Hightower writes in an entertaining, straight-shooting manner. He isn't afraid to attack any of the wrong-doing politicians out there---no matter what side of the fence they stand on. I am a senior year business major at a major university and learned more about the reality of big corporations from Jim Hightower's book than I have in the whole 5 years I have been at my college. I like this book so much, I have already decided to give copies out to my family and friends. Read it for an educational good time.
Required Reading.......2003-10-17
This should be required reading for all Americans who wonder how they lost control of their own government and how they can get it back. Disheartening and encouraging at the same time, Jim Hightower answers all those questions that needle most of us from time to time, from "What could (Choose one or all)Congress/the President/the Democrats/the Republicans possibly be thinking!?" to "Why do they keep building all these exorbitantly priced subdivisions and who can possibly afford them?" Makes you want to jump into the fray -- if you could only afford the cost of a campaign.
great book!.......2003-09-15
Hilarious book. Equally critical of democrats as republicans. Common sense politics
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Eat Your Heart Out
Jim Hightower
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
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ASIN: 0517524546
Release Date: 1988-12-12 |
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- Absolutely Fantabulous!
- An instant classic!
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Trouble At Garrett Manor: Catherine's Story
Jim K. Hightower
Manufacturer: iUniverse
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ASIN: 0595303552 |
Book Description
Catherine Garrett is the wife of a wealthy publishing magnet. She is adored by all for her down to earth personality. What is Catherine's secret? She was raised in wealth, yet ingrained with warmth rather than snobbery.
When Catherine announces she is throwing a five day celebration for the publishing staff, all are delighted. Everyone is excited about seeing the enormous Gilded Age masterpiece where the Garrett's live. They are immediately impressed with the lavish train ride out to the estate aboard the Garrett's own personal train. As the train rolls through the estate they are awestruck when they see the breathtaking limestone mansion. They are equally overcome by the beauty of the art, marble floors, 40 bedrooms and 70 fireplaces during their initial tour.
With such a great start, how could anything go wrong? Follow Catherine's family and their guests as they experience a five day celebration they will never forget. Full of charming wit, devoted love and strength of human spirit, this story is sure to make you reconsider your ideas about quiet, secluded estates.
Customer Reviews:
Absolutely Fantabulous!.......2004-03-02
For those of you who don't know, "fantabulous" is a combination of "fantastic" and "fabulous," but that's not the point. This book is wonderful, there is not much else that one can say about it. The action begins from page one when the storyteller is rescued by her true love. It only gets better. Later in life, the matriarch of the Garrett family finds herself in the midst of a crazy party guest and their evil plot for revenge. It is sure to be a winner!
An instant classic!.......2004-02-16
This book is a wonderful example of the guilded era. It is sure to keep you turning the pages for hours on end. From page one the author brings out the kind heart and less than snobby mindset of the matriarch, Catherine. But this temperment is changed rapidly when a less than savory party guest becomes bent on the anihalation of the Garrett's reputation and, perhaps, the Garrett's themselves.
Customer Reviews:
Fact-based, Original, Brilliant!.......2003-10-09
If you're looking for facts, and some real, honest analysis of the way your money is spent in the land-grant university systems, here's the book for you. Although the book is relatively old, the basic orientation hasn't really changed much at the land-grant schools. In The Politics of Agricultural Research, Don Hadwiger described Hard Tomatoes, Hard Times as an "exposé [that] helped bring about a reappraisal of the marvelous but flawed product of agricultural research."
As Hightower puts it: "Tax dollars buy new tinker toys for agribusiness, misery for migrants, death for rural America and more taxes for urban America. All in the name of efficiency" (p.110). The future, now former, Texas Agriculture Commissioner lays it all out, with facts and figures.
As Ronald Reagan's farewell address warned, beware of the "iron triangles," a phrase coined by J. Leiper Freeman. In fact, this is a great book to read after reading the seminal work by J. Leiper Freeman's The Political Process (1955).
Authors:
- Hill, Geoffrey
- Hill, Lawrence
- Hillerman, Tony
- Hirsch, Edward
- Hitchcock, Jayne
- Hoag, Tami
- Hoban, Russell
- Hobb, Robin
- Hoddis, Jakob Van
- Hodgins, Jack
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