Addison Wiggin; Kate Incontrera; Dorianne Perrucci
Language: English
Business & Economics Debt Debt - United States - History Economic Conditions Economic forecasting Economic forecasting - United States Finance Finance - United States - History Forecasting General History Personal Finance Public Finance United States
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
Published: Sep 9, 2008
Description:
Review
Praise for the theatrical version of I.O.U.S.A.:
"I.O.U.S.A. is a clear, cogent and compelling primer on contemporary American economics and the not-so-small matter of how we ended up at the edge of a precipice." -- Toronto Star
"The buck stops here in this sobering but disarmingly irreverent look at the national debt." -- Hollywood Reporter
I.O.U.S.A. | 3.5 Stars! "...it accomplishes an amazing thing. It explains the national debt, the foreign trade deficit, the decrease in personal savings, how the prime interest rate works, and the weakness of our leaders." -- Roger Ebert
"An alternately amusing and alarming primer on America's off-the-charts fiscal irresponsibility." -- Variety
"Equal parts enlightening and alarming, "I.O.U.S.A." highlights our unwise preference for short-term reward over long-term planning." NY Times
"For anyone seeking a clearer understanding of the financial state of the union -- and strong enough to take the sobering news -- [I.O.U.S.A.] is a good place to start." LA Times
"Some even wonder if it might do for the economy what Al Gore’s "An Inconvenient Truth" did for the environment..."I.O.U.S.A" is a bold attempt to highlight a potentially huge problem." -- The Economist
Product Description
The United States has been spending its way deeper and deeper into the red, and saddling future generations with the mess—but who's paying attention?
To answer that question, the companion book to the critically acclaimed documentary I.O.U.S.A. talks with some of the most revered voices in the nation, including Warren Buffett; former Treasury Secretaries Paul O’Neill and Robert Rubin; Pete Peterson, CEO of The Blackstone Group; Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas); and bestselling Empire of Debt author Bill Bonner.
Armed with these interviews, historical references, and damning statistics, the book takes a lively and entertaining romp through the four deficits the nation faces: the budget deficit, the personal savings deficit, the trade deficit—and what former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, who resigned abruptly in 2008 over Congress’s lack of action, calls the “leadership deficit” in Washington.
Defiantly non-partisan, the empowering solutions outlined in these pages are a must-read for any American who wants to help change “business-as-usual” in Washington as a new administration heads towards the Oval Office. “We the People” can get our politicians to stop spending, promote responsible economic programs, and hand our children and grandchildren the secure future they deserve.