The Roaring 2020’s, Companies, Countries, Pepple-and the Fight for Our Future, Alec Ross
I was so looking forward to reading this book because I thought it would be a factual representation of what is currently occurring and what I could expect in the future, as a result. I thought it would represent the lawlessness and irresponsibility, the pandemic and the economy. Instead, I found it to be a primer about left wing policies and almost nothing but propaganda, which perhaps, I should have expected. The book was written by an author who receives accolades from the progressive world, who is also a journalist that works for a left-wing, leaning newspaper, and is a Democrat who also served in Obama’s administration.
I should have realized that, in this, our current divided country, a left-wing author would at every turn, in any way possible, condemn contemporary capitalism and praise socialist programs. He encourages these programs even though their power and corruption providing them with excessive control, has seeped into many of the unions, corporations and government and has caused them to fail in their original purpose. One suggestion is made, in some circumstances, to remove those who have made themselves rich and self-important, and instead reinstall the workers at the top of the structure, since it is believed that they will be better able to promote and accomplish their demands. Yet the flip side is that they may be unqualified, and therefore I believe that their demands may not always represent the larger picture and might be based on selfish, sometimes irresponsible demands not good for America. Qualifications rather than diversity should be of the utmost importance.
In general, I am not in favor of big government, social media or unions, just for their own sake. Some small businesses often cannot survive their demands. It is the owner of a small business who takes all the risk, but it is the owner who is also expected to share the profits he earns, equally, with the workers who assume no more responsibility than their job description. I speak from experience since my father was driven out of business by the demands and strikes of unskilled workers who made more than he did when he finally had to walk away from the business he started. The teacher’s union is a perfect example of a union’s greed and corruption causing it to fail in its purpose. Students in America seem to receive a terrible education from unqualified and poorly educated teachers who do hardly anything but indoctrinate students with their personal propaganda. Yet these same teachers go on strike for benefits they claim will improve education, while they really demand benefits that they knew they were not entitled to when they took the job. Corporations may have grown too large, and may have too much control, but I believe that it is the fault of government regulators who refuse to rein them in and control their power because they indirectly benefit from that power. If government becomes too big and top-heavy, it does not fairly represent the people. So, while the corruption that has seeped into unions and government programs is criticized somewhat in the book, the overall emphasis seems to be on the continuation of a more progressive government with poorly run social programs, that promote sometimes undeserved worker’s benefits and community activism. The overall theme of the book feels like an effort to change America into a socialist country, although they have failed the world over. It encourages constant displays of outrage which boggles my mind.
So, I am indeed sorry, that about half way through, I decided to skim the rest of the book and had no change in my opinion. Whenever possible, the author’s left-wing, biased approach to policies somehow praised even the failed left wing programs and made a special point of criticizing and demonizing policies from the right side of the political spectrum, Although they were not always identified as such, they would be immediately identified by anyone who knew the difference. Without mentioning the Trump Presidency, the effort to help Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria was described as a massive failure. There was no attempt to present the truth. Supplies were not delivered because of the Puerto Rican bureaucracy, not because of the Trump administration’s failure. His visit was delayed so as not to interfere with the rescue and repair effort, as Biden’s visit was to the Surfside building collapse, but Biden was praised and Trump condemned. Although Surfside just occurred, the media’s approach and the Democrat’s description was entirely opposite. The effort of Hillary Clinton’s charity was useless and negligible and it was coupled with its mismanaged financial aid that never reached Puerto Rico and stayed in her foundation, but no mention was made of that failure as well, as far as I could tell. I could go on, but my intention was not to bash the book, just to explain why I did not finish reading it, and why I would not recommend it. Others may enjoy the progressive, one-sided message.
The failures of the left wing of society with regard to education, employment, unions, improved healthcare, and other social programs, were never condemned as poorly run socialist, left-wing government programs, but rather as programs that only needed more controls by the people and government, and less by corrupt corporations and government officials. I believe that the most qualified, not the most diverse of the population, should be hired to accomplish the most for society and our country. If that were the goal, I believe that our country would prosper, and all of us would benefit from the results of our own hard work with responsibility for our own needs. I believe in capitalism. There is a reason that the tired and poor clamor to come here, and it isn’t because it is like their own failed country, so why do they eventually try to reproduce it?