American Plutocracy: The Decline of Democracy and Freedom

By James Martin

American Plutocracy is an eye-opening expos of how money, greed, and power politics enable the wealthy and special interests to hold sway over our government. Anemic campaign finance legislation permits the economically privileged to make virtually unlimited cash contributions to politicians. As a result, tax laws favor the rich, Wall Street bankers remain unbridled, and corporations have become hugely profitable.

At the same time, the middle class has diminished and, for many, the American Dream is no longer attainable. Affordable housing, higher education, quality healthcare, and well-paying jobs are now beyond the grasp of many of our citizens. While the wealthy "mega-thrive," much of America is simply trying to survive.

Fiscally, the United States is approaching a tipping point. The national debt ($23+ trillion) exceeds the annual Gross National Product (GNP), while deficit spending now runs about a trillion dollars per year. Federal entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare, etc.) consume 63% of the annual federal budget and teeter near insolvency. Corporate tax dodging has pulled billions of dollars out of government coffers while predatory labor practices further deplete the US workforce.

Expecting government to overcome the calamity we now face is wildly optimistic and irrational. There is too much conflict of interest, with no inherent motivation for legislators to do things differently. Instead, American voters/workers/consumers need to take personal responsibility for their own wellbeing. Together, we can proactively affect changes in spite of our elected officials.

American Plutocracy offers an inspiring vision for America that embraces a grassroots capitalism that fosters ownership and prosperity for United States labor, cultivates sustainable employment and careers, and carves a path toward economic, political, and social parity for all Americans. Twenty years ago, such an ambitious endeavor would have seemed unfeasible. Today, with the advent of the Internet and social media, it is collectively within all our reach.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0998695386
• ISBN13: 9780998695389
• Release Date: February 2020
• Publisher: La Maison Publishing, Inc.
• Length: 490 Pages
• Weight: 1.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.0"