(as of 12.4.2024)
Preface
About the Author
Introduction
Part One
1.1 The $47 Trillion Heist
Another View of the Heist
1.2 The Political Coalition That Brought This About
The Rich and Corporations Control Government
American Conservatism in Action
1.3 Key Drivers of the $47 Trillion Heist
First Key Driver – Market Concentration – Monopolization
Second Key Driver – Globalization and Decline in Unionization
Third Key Driver – Finance and Financialization – from production to extraction
A Summary of the Key Drivers of the $47 Trillion Heist
Other Drivers of Insecurity and Inequality
Capitalism operates through unequal power relationships.
Capitalism concentrates wealth and income.
Capitalism does not provide for housing, healthcare, education, and family needs
Mass Debt
1.4 Insecurity Over the Past 50 Years
1.5 The Intensification of Insecurity for the bottom 90%
The Insecurities
Labor
Housing
Transportation
Food
Education
Insecurity for Women
Health
Family
Rural Insecurity
Insecurity of Time
Aging and Retirement
Mental Health and Mental Illness
Happiness
1.6 American Values and Capitalism
My children will be better off than me
Everyone is equal
Your life is in your own hands – the land of opportunity
Justice and the Rule of Law
Hard work pays off
Part Two – Other Features of Capitalism
2.1 Why Orthodox Economics Is Not Useful
2.2 Escaping the Silos
2.3 The Approach Taken Here
2.4 Capitalism Defined
The Rhetoric – The Claims
Capitalism defined
What should an economy do? – our view
2.5 The Other Troubling Features of Capitalism
The capitalist system is unstable
Capitalism controls investment
Capitalism features ubiquitous “external” costs.
Money, Financialization, & Finance
The Financial Sector
Financialization – from production to extraction
Changes in Behavior of Nonfinancial Corporations – the real economy
Summary of Money, Finance, and Financialization
Capitalism distorts, changes, and creates human demand and consumption.
The marketing of foods to children has significant deleterious effects
Capitalism Fails at Maintenance
Capitalism requires endless growth on a planet with finite resources.
Is capitalism a system?
Slavery, colonialism, and state power.
Corporations and the Law
Capitalism works on a short investment horizon.
Private property and rent
Anonymous Capitalism
Competition – avoided or eliminated
Global Capitalism – Globalization – a further note
Part 3 Summary and Looking Forward
3.1 Summary of the Origins of the $47 Trillion Heist and Growing Insecurities for the Bottom 90%
3.2 A Capitalism-Based Progressive Agenda
3.3 The Goal – a sustainable, equitable economy
3.4 Adaptations to Capitalism
3.5 A Solution Beyond Capitalism?
3.6 A Depressing Duo
Appendix 1 – Understanding Charts and Graphs
Appendix 2 – Envisioning $47 Trillion
$47 Trillion compared to the GDP of China and the US
The Billionaire Tower View
The Research and Writing Process – Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
AI and Uncovering Capitalism
Bibliography
INDEX