The Crash of 2016

Thom Hartmann's new book, The Crash of 2016 offers evidence and historical context for yet another economic collapse of our society. What happened in 2008 is about to happen again, only this time, it will be much worse.  That's the unambiguous conclusion of The Crash of 2016.  

I have read many of Hartmann's books. His worldview is built on solid research. In a nutshell, as he sees it, human civilization is on the precipice. Too many people, too few resources, and a  political system that is corrupt to the core.  What Hartmann calls Economic royalists have brought America to its knees before. In fact, there's a pattern. Hartmann's calls it the great forgetting, where every fourth generation removed from an economic meltdown caused by the hubris of corporations, banksters, and individuals exercising unrestrained self-interest, it happens again. In 1929, the world fell into a great depression, driven largely by the excessive gaming of the economic system by the rich.  In response, the people elected Franklin Roosevelt. As President, he launched a recovery with his progressive 'New Deal' ideas. Then World War Two came. In it's aftermath, America and the rest of the world moved into an extended period of economic growth and broadly realized prosperity.  Then, in 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected President. He and his neo-conservative cabal cut taxes on the rich and launched an era of deregulation that set us on an inevitable course for another collapse.  The American middle class has been eviscerated by conservative, 'supply-side' economic policy.  The first reckoning came with the 2008 economic meltdown. Unfortunately, the response was entirely inadequate. The neo-conservatives who caused the meltdown were not held accountable.  Because of inadequate policy reforms, the recovery from 2008 has been tepid at best.   Now, as Thom Hartmann so effectively points out, we are headed toward another collapse. This one will be much more severe than what happened in 2008.  Hartmann makes a very strong case for another economic breakdown in 2016, give or take a year or two.

So, what do we do?  First, we brace for what appears to be inevitable; another collapse of our economic system.  As before, there will be a lot of finger pointing. The neo-conservatives will blame everyone but themselves. We will have a choice.  We can stay the course and allow corporations, the banksters, and the rich to run roughshod over what's left of our civilization, or we can elect leaders who will choose a progressive course and make much-needed reforms to our system of governance...reforms that will restore 'of, by, and for the people' to our way of life.

Thom Hartmann's The Crash of 2016 delivers  a clear prescription for what we as citizens must do to rebuild from the ashes of the crash that's coming. His vision offers hope for a new order that is both life-affirming and sustainable over the long term.

Highest recommendation.


Here is a link to Thom Hartmann's website and radio show...  http://www.thomhartmann.com/