The audacity of greed : free markets, corporate thieves and the looting of America

"Over the past quarter century, we have lived through the greatest looting of wealth in human history. While billions of dollars streamed into the pockets of a few elites in the corporate and economic classes, the vast majority of citizens have lived through a period of falling wages, disappearing pensions and dwindling bank accounts - all of which led to the personal debt crisis that lies at the root of the current financial meltdown. This "audacity of greed" was legally blessed by the ethos of the "free market," a phony marketing phrase that covered up the fleecing of the American public." "In The Audacity of Greed, Jonathan Tasini examines the reasons and exposes the people responsible for the looting of America - from corporate executives who funded their lavish lifestyles at the public's expense to the politicians who let it happen - arguing that we need a cultural and philosophical revolution that punctures the fable of market fundamentalism and, by doing so, values the contributions made by ordinary Americans throughout the economy."--BOOK JACKET