The indebted society

the long version

Over the past twenty years, the quality of life for American workers - blue-collar and white-collar, young and old, skilled and unskilled - has gone from reasonable comfort to near desperation. In this brilliantly original and compelling book, two distinguished economists show how this disastrous downward swing can be traced directly to the insidious disease of debt - not just government debt but personal and corporate debt as well. Corporate debt has engendered a downsizing movement that has drained the last vestiges of job security from the workplace. Personal debt has fueled an ongoing consumption binge and, along with government debt, has choked off investment and left America with inferior jobs, low productivity, and an ever-increasing dependence on foreign workers. Worst of all, the debt explosion has spawned a new and dangerous class, the lenders. Backed by a powerful group of apologists in academia, in government, and on Wall Street, the lenders only compound the problem of debt by pushing for higher interest rates and lower inflation, no matter what the cost. In the end, working people, the poor, and the American family pay the price. Authors Medoff and Harless go far beyond a mere diagnosis and analysis of the disease of debt; they go on to offer potent and practical prescriptions for recovery on personal, corporate, and national levels. The situation is growing desperate, as America is ensnared in a vicious circle that leads us deeper and deeper into the red. The Indebted Society is both a dramatic wake-up call for Americans and a realistic program for returning the nation to economic and social health at last.