How Capitalism Will Save Us: Why Free People and Free Markets Are the Best Answer in Today's Economy

by Elizabeth Ames and Steve Forbes

Book Overview

Has capitalism failed?
Is it fundamentally greedy and immoral, enabling the rich to get richer? Are free markets Darwinian places where the most ruthless crush smaller competitors, where vital products and services are priced beyond the ability of many people to afford them?
Capitalism is the world's greatest economic success story. It is the most effective way to provide for the needs of people and foster the democratic and moral values...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307463109
• ISBN13: 9780307463104
• Release Date: June 2011
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

capitalism wins over government-run

Steve Forbes' How Capitalism Will Save Us is a book about how free markets, not government-run markets, will help the economy emerge from the recession and towards prosperity. It's a good sized book - about 320 pages. It was pretty good book. Forbes makes a good case about capitalism. The highlights are the following - My take away from the book was to keep goods and services inexpensive. - In a free market, both consumer and supplier benefit; it is not a zero sum game where only one person benefits and the other does not. - Regarding health care, currently there is hardly any free market at the consumer level. - In socialism, the smartest minds are incapable of charting the destinies of millions of people. - Innovation mainly comes from the free market, not from government, because government officials want to keep their jobs by playing it safe. - Whenever there is an economic calamity, government is somehow involved. - Capitalism is moral. - taxation shifts money away from the free-market towards the government sector, preventing the growth in innovation and preventing job creation in the public sector. - The economic growth in the Clinton years was not due to the income tax increase but due to the cuts in the capital gains tax. - makes the distinction between income and capital gains taxes and why both should remain distinct. The strongest point I thought was with regards to health care. The book and I came towards a similar observation: there is no retail sector in health care and because of a lack of a retail sector, health care costs are out of control. Currently, much of the health care costs are paid for by third-parties sheltering patients from the actual costs. There is no competition at the retail level. The government and employers are the ones competing. With few players competing, there is less potential to drive down costs. I was surprised that Forbes also saw the lack of competition in the consumer level. For the doom-and-gloom investors, Forbes does not believe in the magnitude of the trade deficit. Also, Forbes is not a believer in mark-to-market. Also, he hardly mentions anything about consumer debt. If you're on the fence between capitalism and government-run markets, this book may compel you to lean towards free markets. If you're already a believer in free markets, this book would solidify your beliefs. It's a good book. I liked it. A must-read if you want to understand the dynamics of free markets.

A Lesson in Economics

Capitalism has been vilified by narrow-minded people for generations, especially when there's some economic strife going on (like now). However, the system may not be perfect, but it's the best one we've got; and if our governments could resist the temptation to meddle with it (usually a bad idea), we'd be a lot better off. Certainly, the economic meltdown which hit us hard in late 2008, was as close to a depression as we've seen since The Great Depression; and many books of doom and gloom have surfaced, lamenting "the failure of capitalism" as the root of the problem. Six months ago, I read and reviewed Judge Posner's book on the subject, and was lit up like a Christmas tree for not going along with his opinion ("It was only a nasty recession"). I suppose all the doom and gloomers out there don't like to hear an optimistic voice, telling them we're not all heading to the poor house. These are the same people who think the government should be controlling the economy; sorry, but "Stimulis Packages" only cause more long-term devastation that they're worth. It's with great pleasure that I read Steve Forbes' wonderful book, which very pragmatically informs us that capitalism is alive and well; and it's the system that will keep us afloat. Forbes has a great deal of support in his opinion; recent books that I've read & reviewed tell it like it is: The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism, Economics in One Lesson: The Shortest and Surest Way to Understand Basic Economics & Economics Does Not Lie: A Defense of the Free Market in a Time of Crisis, among others. Capitalism is the best system we've got, and it operates best when governments have sense enough to stay out of the way. Steve Forbes does an excellent job of letting us all know that the solution to our economic woes is as simple as allowing the free enterprise system to do its thing. It makes perfect sense; let's hope the political power brokers understand this.

Great Gift--Smart, Easy to Read take on the Economy!

I have found a great holiday gift for my friends --I was given this book for my birthday and loved it! Steves book was a really interesting and insightful take on today's economy. This book was clear and easy to read which was a great surprise as you can rarely get past the first page of most books on the economy and business today. I own my own small business and Steve helped me to understand the most relevant issues at play in today's economy while offering smart, innovative ideas on how we fix this mess. I am going to buy this book for many of my friends as we are all in disbelief as to what happened with this economy and with our business and this gives me hope--FINALLY!

Hope the Congress and Administration read this book

Hopefully the President and Congress will spend the Thanksgiving Holiday reading this book. As usual Steve Forbes's insight and direction for the economy are right on point. They should take time from the healthcare debate and read this prescription for the economy which will improve our economic health long term for all Americans. This is a must read for anyone serious about the economy and our economic future.

Finally a Beacon of Hope in a Financial Storm.

Steve Forbes had the courage and fiscal smarts to explain, in clear and understandable language, exactly how capitalism will guide us though our current financial storm in this fantastic Book!