"Pollina's unique perspective adds an important dimension to the national economic debate. It should be required reading."
—Dr. Ron Swager, senior research professor, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
“Ron Pollina presents a thorough description of a very complex and critically important issue for us all—our nation’s economic well-being and associated place in the world order. He points out that the way to economic well-being has only one path—that created by bold strategic, long-term leadership, and associated policies. This has proven to be America’s greatest challenge.”
—J. Keith Crisco, North Carolina Secretary of Commerce
In 1968, there were sixty-two lobbyists in Washington; today there are thirty-four thousand, outnumbering members of Congress and their staffers two to one. By 2008, these lobbyists were spending approximately $8.2 million for influence per day.
Few, if any, of these lobbyists represent the majority of Americans in the middle class. So it’s not surprising, given these statistics, that real median household income in America has stagnated for over a decade.
As economist Ronald R. Pollina documents in this hard-hitting book, a combination of special interest groups and their army of money-peddling lobbyists, along with government mismanagement of business and the economy by both parties, have betrayed the American middle and lower classes for the last twenty years. The result is a host of misguided laws and policies that have driven jobs and whole industries offshore, never to return.
Dr. Pollina takes issue with those who emphasize the potential benefits of globalization without taking notice of its many negative effects on American society. He also argues that inept policy threatens to derail the American economy permanently and that our economic malaise is more than a short-term reaction to a financial market collapse or global market forces. He cites the following critical areas where changes must be made to reverse the negative trend:
• Improvements in our 1950s-era educational system to produce a workforce able to compete for 21st-century jobs
• Reform of tax codes that have been driving companies and jobs offshore. We are currently a nation that manufactures practically nothing!
• Weaning all levels of government away from deficit spending, which drains economic power
• Pursuing free trade that also means fair trade
• Ending the cycle of credit-card debt and all-too-easy mortgage credit to finance ultimately unaffordable lifestyles
• Making the United States more business friendly, so companies will grow and provide desperately needed jobs here at home
Dr. Pollina astutely warns that, unless we implement these and other recommended changes, the American economy will inevitably decline while China, India, and other up-and-coming nations are gaining the ascendancy. But as he wisely observes, all is not lost.
Selling Out a Superpower provides a roadmap for reclaiming American preeminence in the 21st century. If we follow the course set by this expert, we can reinvigorate and renew our economy, rebuild America’s greatness, create 21st-century jobs, and more.
Binding: Hardcover
352 pages (illustrations)
ISBN: 978-1-61614-215-5
Shipping Weight: 2lbs
Author Bio:
Ronald R. Pollina, PhD(Park Ridge, IL), is the author of the nationally recognized Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States Study, which is published annually. He is the president and founder of Chicago-based Pollina Corporate Real Estate, Inc. The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Financial Times, Business Week, Forbes magazine, and the Chicago Tribune frequently quote his opinions on geoeconomics and corporate location.
