Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy
Nov 2011 · Sold by Knopf
3.4star
763 reviews
Ebook
208
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About this ebook
“I wrote this book because I love my country and I'm concerned about our future,” writes Bill Clinton. “As I often said when I first ran for President in 1992, America at its core is an idea—the idea that no matter who you are or where you're from, if you work hard and play by the rules, you'll have the freedom and opportunity to pursue your own dreams and leave your kids a country where they can chase theirs.”
In Back to Work, Clinton details how we can get out of the current economic crisis and lay a foundation for long-term prosperity. He offers specific recommendations on how we can put people back to work and create new businesses, increase bank lending and corporate investment, double our exports, and restore our manufacturing base. He supports President Obama’s emphasis on green technology, saying that change in the way we produce and consume energy is the strategy most likely to spark a fast-growing economy and enhance our national security.
Clinton also says that we need both a strong economy and a smart government working together to restore prosperity and progress. He demonstrates that whenever we’ve given in to the temptation to blame government for our problems, we’ve lost our commitment to shared prosperity, balanced growth, financial responsibility, and investment in the future. That has led our nation into trouble because there are some things we have to do together. For example, he says, “Our ability to compete in the twenty-first century is dependent on our willingness to invest in infrastructure: we need faster broadband, a state-of-the-art national electrical grid, modernized water and sewer systems, and the best airports, trains, roads, and bridges.
“There is no evidence that we can succeed in the twenty-first century with an antigovernment strategy,” writes Clinton, “with a philosophy grounded in ‘You’re on your own’ rather than ‘We’re all in this together.’” Clinton believes that conflict between government and the private sector has proved to be remarkably good politics, but it has produced bad policies, giving us a weak economy with few jobs, growing income inequality and poverty, and a decline in our competitive position. In the real world, cooperation works much better than conflict, and “we need victories in the real world.”
In Back to Work, Clinton details how we can get out of the current economic crisis and lay a foundation for long-term prosperity. He offers specific recommendations on how we can put people back to work and create new businesses, increase bank lending and corporate investment, double our exports, and restore our manufacturing base. He supports President Obama’s emphasis on green technology, saying that change in the way we produce and consume energy is the strategy most likely to spark a fast-growing economy and enhance our national security.
Clinton also says that we need both a strong economy and a smart government working together to restore prosperity and progress. He demonstrates that whenever we’ve given in to the temptation to blame government for our problems, we’ve lost our commitment to shared prosperity, balanced growth, financial responsibility, and investment in the future. That has led our nation into trouble because there are some things we have to do together. For example, he says, “Our ability to compete in the twenty-first century is dependent on our willingness to invest in infrastructure: we need faster broadband, a state-of-the-art national electrical grid, modernized water and sewer systems, and the best airports, trains, roads, and bridges.
“There is no evidence that we can succeed in the twenty-first century with an antigovernment strategy,” writes Clinton, “with a philosophy grounded in ‘You’re on your own’ rather than ‘We’re all in this together.’” Clinton believes that conflict between government and the private sector has proved to be remarkably good politics, but it has produced bad policies, giving us a weak economy with few jobs, growing income inequality and poverty, and a decline in our competitive position. In the real world, cooperation works much better than conflict, and “we need victories in the real world.”
Ratings and reviews
3.4
763 reviews
A Google user
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How can a former President who raped women still be in the spot light writting books in 2011 and people want to listen to him? His values and morals are in the gutter. He can't be trusted. He had semen on the womans cloths, he was proven to be guilty. This Progressive Liberal and his wife are Socialists; Socialism leads to Marxism and leads to Communism which has killed 10's of Millions of lives on this planet. How many people 'mysteriously' were killed/went missing while Clinton was in office? If you stood in the way of their Agenda, you were removed... Look it up.
A Google user
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November 21, 2011
Gotta love the man for getting head and getting money. It's a shame how some comments seem to suggest that is a bad thing. I've personally never looked at a politician as a role model.Most of them were lawyers (immoral liars) beforehand, but I'm sure Mr Clinton and the rest would like to be forgiven for disappointing you and your naive views of the real world..... Time is money, success is the value you place on your time
A Google user
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December 14, 2011
Good read. It flowed very well from beginning to end. The reasoning makes sense, and the insights are well considered and form a comprehensive solution with room for those with differing viewpoints to modify to their liking... to a point. President Clinton did sound like he was tooting his own horn a bit at times, and certainly his dislike of anti-government viewpoints is plain, these biases are light by comparison to other works, and do not overpower the recommendations contained within. Essentially, President Clinton explains why government is good... at least when it is actually being good.
About the author
WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, 42nd President of the United States, is founder of the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
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