|
From:David K. Shipler , Knopf ,
|
See Product Page
|
User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#87017 |
| | Page: << 1 ... 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 >> |
10 of 14 customers found the following review helpful:
 An Eye Opening Account, 2004-10-24
Shipler reveals the truth regarding the conditions that "the working poor in America" are facing each day. Barely surviving, with few resources, this book is an outstanding account of the "real" America, thereby eliminating the faded American dream. In its place is poverty among the majority of middle America, with facts and suggestions for how to turn it around. A truly eye opening book.
19 of 30 customers found the following review helpful:
 Some interesting stories, but too preachy..., 2004-10-01
I loved the book "Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By In America," by Barbara Ehrenreich, and after seeing her blurb on the cover I hoped this book would be similar. While I agree that the minimum wage in the U.S. is woefully inadequate, I found Shipler's tone to be very preachy; in many of the passages, he writes about "privileged homes," as if people who make a good living have something to be ashamed of. I found many of the people profiled in the book to be at least somewhat responsible for their own situations; if you don't earn a high school diploma, blow your wages on drugs, and have 4 kids before you are 21 years old, chances are you will live below the poverty line. A little too bleeding-heart for my taste... I would recommend Ehrenreich's book instead of this one.
7 of 10 customers found the following review helpful:
"Strip Mall" Flunkies, 2004-09-17
Though the working poor in the US would be rich compared to other countries, it is troubling to see the progression of "strip mall" flunky jobs over the last 20 years. Shipler's book provides in-depth narrative on the people this trend affects. It also gives great insight to the problems, frustrations and institutional bureaucracy experienced by the "working poor". This book illustrates the "interlocking effects" when any aspect of the "working poor's" life is disrupted.
10 of 13 customers found the following review helpful:
Working harder and not getting ahead, 2004-09-02
Somewhere in the middle of this book the reader is introduced to Tom and Kara. They had always struggled and sometimes hadn't always made the wisest decisions. They were pushed back as often as they were able to move ahead. Kara is diagnosed with lymphoma, and it seems as though any small gain they have made will be devoured, and their children will
face desperate times. The "safety Net' provides scant help. Their friends and community offer more. Those with as little or less then them give what they can. They offer food, wood, transportation to appointments. Kara feels overwhelmed by all this and is uneasy with their "debt". She manages to co make and collecttoys to donate he hospital's waiting room. Tom cannot help but feel their economic status influences some the doctors' treatmentdecisions. She eventually succumbs.
The Working Poor, Invisible in America tries to discover why in a land of plenty we have so many who go without. Without the very basics....food , shelter, education, health care. Those who do without are working the very jobs others say they should take. There is no doubt this is a complex question and David Shipler does not in any way say he has any of the answers. He presents a well balanced picture, and proposes some ways to make change. What he does best is place human faces
on people. The people who we see every day. Shipler identifies many of the causes of poverty, and he also is candid about the dilema business find themselves in...beholden to shareholders as well as workers. The trend to ship work overseas. The necessity to hire immigrant workers to do the work many native US citizens will no longer consider.He keeps bringing us back to the human face and the cost of the working poor. The price we all eventually pay.
37 of 127 customers found the following review helpful:
Enjoyable reading but some wrong conclusions/solutions, 2004-07-31
I really enjoyed how this book told the stories of the working poor. It was enlighting in that regard. However, the solutions the author proposes basically amount to wealth redistribution. He says that at least part of the poverty problem could be solved if those at the top are willing to sacrifice a little (p. 297). Does he not know that the people at the top are already "sacrificing" a very large percentage of their income? Does he want to tax the successful people even more than they already are? Another wrong conclusion he makes is that vouchers for private schools undermine the separation of church and state and draw resources away from public schools (p. 294). Who do you think can decide better for kids? The government or the parents? Obviously parents should have the right to send their children to the schools that they think are best. This will cause failing schools to go out of business as they should, and successful schools to continue. The author also makes a case for raising the minimum wage, even significantly. Obviously he does not really understand the effects of doing so. He seems to think that if you raise the minimum wage to $20, then no one would be poor. Why not just make it $100/hour, then everyone can be rich? Obviously that doesn't work. The author also suggest that a lot more money be spent on social programs, and the reason why they fail is lack of money. What do you think would happen if the solution to all failures was to just throw more money at at? Wealth redistribution, welfare, subsidies, etc. create more government dependence, create a sense of entitlement, and take away people's dignity.
Another big failure of this author is to mention the importance of morals and religion. Almost no where does he mention religion, although he does tell a lot of stories about poor people making immoral decisions, such as having lots of sex with multiple partners, making babies, poor parenting, abortions, drugs, child abuse, etc. I was very surprised that he did not see religion and charity (and not more government) as a bigger solution. In fact, a lot of the success stories included people changing their lives and making better decisions by becoming more moral and therefore gaining more dignity and confidence in themselves.
The author briefly mentions at the beginning of the book that poverty in America is nothing like poverty in other countries. Poverty here would be like wealth to many people in third world countries. I think that is important to keep in mind. The biggest poverty fighter is capitalism and a system that promotes freedom and dignity, not one that takes it away by taxing the people who have made the right decisions and then blindly giving out handouts.
I am giving this book three stars, because I did enjoy the stories and find them interesting and informative, and the stories were much of the book. It brings a better understanding of poverty, the struggles that poor people face, and the lifestyles they lead. I do agree with him that the current system has many problems and that the government could do more (but not by creating more social programs). However, the solutions the author proposes are mostly wrong. Government programs, higher taxes, and even more regulation are not the answer. Government should stay out of the charity business and leave that to individuals and religious organizations. Government should take steps against poverty, but not by creating more handouts, subsidies, and dependency.
I highly recommend "Uncle Sam's Plantation" by Star Parker. The author, who grew up enslaved in the welfare system speaks from powerful experience and gets the solutions right much more of the time. I also recommend John Stossel's book "Give Me a Break".
|
| Page: << 1 ... 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 >> |
|