The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism

Quiz: Are You a Capitalist Pig? xi Capitalism, Profits, and Entrepreneurs 1(8) So what is capitalism, anyway? Laissez-faire versus regulation Free to starve? Mass production for the masses Central planning versus the ``anarchy'' of production We won the Cold War! Or did we? The Price Is Right (By Definition) 9(8) Prices are signals The big fuss over ``Big Oil'' Running out of gas... Rent control (or, How to destroy a neighborhood) Labor Pains 17(12) Baseball players make more than teachers! Where are our priorities? Even bad CEOs deserve the big bucks Child labor laws are unnecessary The minimum wage (or, How to create unemployment) Unions hurt the working man Give me a break! The Case against Anti-discrimination Laws 29(12) The free market's ``racist fee'' Discrimination is bad for business The ``discriminating'' customer Private property and the freedom of association There's nothing ``affirmative'' about affirmative action So everything's hunky-dory? Slavery: Product of Capitalism or of Government? 41(8) Government protects slavery Slavery was declining before state interference Slavery: Immoral, yes, but also inefficient! The rising price of slaves If slavery is so inefficient, then why did it exist at all? How Capitalism Will Save the Environment 49(12) Rhinos versus cows Conservation for whom? We'll cross that bridge when we get to it The ultimate bet: Ehrlich bombs Recycle? Or dump? The pollution of activist government Ensuring Safety: The Market or Big Brother? 61(18) There's always a trade-off... Market safety The regulators: Third-party guarantors Is there a doctor in the house? Safety: Taking it to the streets Good intentions with deadly consequences Settling Debts 79(6) Deficits don't cause inflation Deficits crowd out private investment Raising taxes isn't ``responsible'' Burdening our grandchildren? Reagan's record Clinton's budget Money and Banking 85(12) Barter is barbarous Nobody invented money We're from the government and we're here to help Printing more money makes prices rise Banking basics ``Wildcat'' banking Growing Pains 97(18) The business cycle: Courtesy of the government The ``progressive'' Herbert Hoover The New Deal didn't fix the Depression Did World War II get us out of the Depression? The whole is not the sum of the parts A (government) penny spent is a penny earned Bread and Circuses: Popular Government Programs 115(12) NASA: Needlessly dangerous Outer space: Too big for the private sector? Capitalists: Just out for a buck? LBJ's war on taxpayers Sacrosanct Social Security Running Government Like a Business 127(10) Profits versus bureaucracy Amtrak Going postal over poor service Public utilities Government in a jam Trusting the Feds on Antitrust 137(10) The myth of the robber barons The infamous case of Standard Oil The case against antitrust The case for Microsoft Trade Wars 147(12) Tariffs are taxes on Americans Protecting jobs? Classical wisdom Debunking the deficit The trade deficit: Follow the money Making Money in the Global Village 159(14) Manufacturing a crisis Outsourcing destroys jobs? Outsourcing makes America richer The high-tech sector: Another phony crisis Capital export is a capital idea We're from the world government and we're here to help The Investor Class: In Other Words, You and Me 173(14) Interest: Sooner is better than later The importance of middlemen The farsighted speculator Futures and other derivatives: To each according to his ability... Raiders of the lost corporation A Twelve-Step Plan for Understanding the Free Market 185(2) Acknowledgments 187(2) Notes 189(6) Index 195