Cowboy Capitalism: European Myths about the American Reality

Most literature showing the greatness of capitalism through statistics is horribly biased, but this book keeps the bias to a moderate level. This means you get a wealth of statistical information that is not overly influenced by ideology, which is a rare find. 2006 Templeton Enterprise Award Winner. ʺamericans Work Three Jobs Just To Make Ends Meet, And Unemployment Is Low Only Because So Many People Are In Jail.ʺ Thatʼs What Most European (and Many American) Pundits Believe. While The U.s. Economy May Create More Growth, Europeans Think They Are Better Off When It Comes To Job Security, Income Equality, And Other Factors. But Does European-style ʺcomfy Capitalismʺ Really Deliver Better Results Than American ʺcowboy Capitalismʺ? Olaf Gersemann, A German Reporter Who Came To America, Checked The Facts And Discovered That The Common Perception In Europe And Elsewhere Of Americaʼs Economic Model Is Either Wrong Or Misleading. The Greater Market Freedoms In The United States Create A More Flexible, Adaptable, And Prosperous System Than The Declining Welfare States Of Europe. Contrary To What One Might Expect, Continental Europeʼs Welfare States Provide No Meaningful Advantage Compared With America. In Clear And Accessible Terms, Gersemann Separates The Economic Myths From The Reality. Cowboy Capitalism Is A Provocative And Devastating Rebuttal To The Stereotypes Promoted By The Likes Of Paul Krugman And Michael Moore -publisherʼs Description. ʺthis Is A Comprehensive, Indeed Truly Encyclopedic, Comparison Of Economic Conditions And Policies In The United States With Those In Germany, France, And Italy. Gersemann, A German Journalist Based In The United States, Provides Detailed Evidence To Support His Devastating Rejection Of Common European Fallacies About The American Economy. A Real Treasure Trove Of Thoughtful Analysis.ʺ --milton Friedman, Nobel Laureate In Economics. Also Includes Information On African Americans, Bankruptcies, Demographic Aging And Entitlements, Economic Justice And Security, Boom Of 1990s, Educational Attainment, Educational Inequality, Employment Protection Legislation, France, Germany, Household Income, Income Distribution, Income Inequality, International Comparisons, Italy, Jobs, Labor Productivity, Living Standards, New Economy, Poverty, Service Economy, Tax Burden, Taxes, Technological Progress/revolution, Unemployment, Wages And Salaries, Women, Etc. He Who Laughs Last-employment In Europe And The United States, 1979-2003 -- The United States: Myths, Half-truths, And Reality -- Unequal And Unjust. Olaf Gersemann. An Earlier Version Of This Book Was Published In October 2003 By Finanzbuch Verlag, Munich, As Amerikanische Verhaltnisse : Die Falsche Angst Der Deutschen Vor Dem Cowboy-kapitalismus--intro. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 225-234) And Index. Preliminaries......Page 1 Contents......Page 7 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 9 ABBREVIATIONS......Page 11 INTRODUCTION......Page 13 1 The End of Convergence......Page 21 2 Europe Isn’t Working......Page 29 3 The New Economy Lives In America......Page 41 4 Europe’s Sluggishness A Chosen Lot......Page 55 5 America’s Golden 90s Was It All Just Hype......Page 79 6 A Misery Desperately Longing for Justification......Page 87 7 ‘‘Living Standards Are Declining’’......Page 95 8 For Everything Else There’s MasterCard......Page 103 9 Poverty Is on the Rise......Page 111 10 Just a Bunch of McJobs......Page 123 11 Moms Need to Work Too......Page 129 12 Three Jobs Needed to Survive......Page 135 13 Unemployed behind Bars......Page 141 14 The Doctor Won’t See Them Now......Page 145 15 Income Inequality—Tectonic Shifts or What?......Page 155 16 And the Culprit Is Progress......Page 167 17 Mass Unemployment The Mother of Injustices......Page 187 18 Inequality in Education-The Grandmother of All Injustices......Page 193 19 The American Dream Lives......Page 201 20 Better Securely Unemployed Than Insecurely Employed......Page 207 CONCLUSION......Page 217 NOTES......Page 223 REFERENCES......Page 237 INDEX......Page 247 Europeans believe that, while the U.S. economy may create more growth, they have it better when it comes to job security, income equality, and other factors. Gersemann, a German reporter went to America, and found that the greater market freedoms in America create a more flexible, adaptable, and prosperous system than the declining welfare states of "old Europe." This book presents statistical data in extensive yet accessible charts and graphs