Robert Reich’s new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is a highly readable discussion of how the elite in our country, the “oligarchy,” control the political system by lobbying and hiring government officials, congressmen, and senators with large salaries after they leave the government. While some corporations state they have liberal goals, those statements hid significant abuses, such as violating laws and paying fines that are less than the profits those abuses generate. This SDG will discuss the validity of those claims and the practicality of the solutions he suggests, and try to balance the discussion with outside articles that have a different point of view. (Note: This is a revision of the original SDG proposal.)
1. Overview
2. The Obsolescence of Right and Left
3. Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase: Patriot First?
4. Socialism for the Rich, Harsh Capitalism for the Rest
5. The System of Corruption
6. The Silence of the CEOs
7. The Core Contradiction
8. The Vicious Cycle and From Stakeholder to Shareholder Capitalism
9. The Power Shift
10. The Last Coping Mechanism
11. The Triumph of the Oligarchy
12. The Furies: Reaction to The System
13. How Oligarchies Retain Power
14. Why Democracy Will Prevail and a Final Word
Robert Reich, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It (2020)