Why Nations (and organizations) Fail: Self-Serving Elites
For those who doubt that America is ruled by a narrow elite: three charts.
The book Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty neatly summarizes why nations fail in a few lines:
![](http://www.oftwominds.com/photos2014/wealth-pyramid2.gif)
In a simulacrum democracy where the highest bidders control the state, who do you think can readily buy political power?
![](http://www.oftwominds.com/photos2014/wealth-inequality3-14a.jpg)
And the policies of the elites have really spread the prosperity around in the past few years(sarcasm-off):
![](http://www.oftwominds.com/photos2014/wealth-table7-14.png)
What's truly interesting about the authors' exhaustive survey of the inevitability of failure in elite-dominated nations is how cities dominated by narrow elites fail, states controlled by narrow elites fail, and indeed, any organization that serves the interests of a few at the expense of the many fails for the same reasons.
![go to Kindle edition](http://www.oftwominds.com/photos2014/GAJ-250.jpg)
And like most of you, the way I've moved toward my goal has always hinged not just on having a job but a career.
You don't have to be a financial blogger to know that "having a job" and "having a career" do not mean the same thing today as they did when I first started swinging a hammer for a paycheck.
Even the basic concept "getting a job" has changed so radically that jobs--getting and keeping them, and the perceived lack of them--is the number one financial topic among friends, family and for that matter, complete strangers.
So I sat down and wrote this book: Get a Job, Build a Real Career and Defy a Bewildering Economy.
It details everything I've verified about employment and the economy, and lays out an action plan to get you employed.
I am proud of this book. It is the culmination of both my practical work experiences and my financial analysis, and it is a useful, practical, and clarifying read.
Test drive the first section and see for yourself. Kindle, $9.95 print, $20
"I want to thank you for creating your book Get a Job, Build a Real Career and Defy a Bewildering Economy. It is rare to find a person with a mind like yours, who can take a holistic systems view of things without being captured by specific perspectives or agendas. Your contribution to humanity is much appreciated."
Laura Y.
Gordon Long and I discuss The New Nature of Work: Jobs, Occupations & Careers(25 minutes, YouTube)
Thank you, Jimmy B. ($20), for your most-excellently generous contribution to this site-- I am greatly honored by your support and readership. |