04888cam a2200409 i 4500 6229 6229 BJBSDDR 20230404125849.0 ta 140626s2014 nyu b 000 0 eng 9780385528238 (hardcover) 18201770 DLC spa DLC eng pcc n-us--- HN 59.2 H536l 2014 305.5/50973 23 Herbert, Bob (Robert), 1945- Losing our way : an intimate portrait of a troubled America / Bob Herbert. 1st ed. New York : Doubleday, [2014] 283 p. ; 25 cm Includes bibliographical references (p. [259]-283). Falling apart -- Falling apart II -- Jobs and the middle class -- War and its aftermath -- Understanding the costs of war -- Poverty and inequality -- The public schools -- Poverty and public education -- War's madness runs deep -- Hurricane Sandy and other disasters -- Cashing in on schools -- Mistreating the troops. "In a searing indictment of America's decline, former New York Times columnist Bob Herbert profiles struggling Americans--casualties of decades of government policies that have produced underemployment, inequality, and pointless wars--and offers a ringing call to arms to restore justice and the American dream. The United States needs to be reimagined. Once described by Lincoln as the last best hope on earth, the country seemed on the verge of fulfilling its immense promise in the mid 1960s and early 1970s: unemployment was low, wages and profits were high, and the nation's wealth--by today's standards--was distributed in a remarkably equitable fashion. America was a society confident that it could bring a middle-class standard of living (at the very least) and the full rights of citizenship to virtually everyone. This sense of possibility has evaporated. In this book longtime New York Times columnist Bob Herbert combines devastating stories of suffering Americans with keen political analysis to show where decades of corporate greed, political apathy, and short-term thinking have led: America's infrastructure is crumbling, our schools fail our children, unnecessary wars maim our young men, and underemployment plagues a generation. He traces how the United States went wrong, exposing the slow, dangerous shift of political influence from the working population in the 1960s to the corporate and financial elite today, who act largely in their own self-interest. But the situation isn't entirely hopeless. Herbert argues that by tapping the creative ideas of people across the country who are implementing solutions at the local level, the middle class can reassert its power, put the economy back on track, and usher in a new progressive era"-- Provided by publisher. "The United States needs to be reimagined. Once described by Lincoln as the last best hope on earth, the country seemed on the verge of fulfilling its immense promise in the mid 1960s and early 1970s: unemployment was low, wages and profits were high, and the nation's wealth--by today's standards--was distributed in a remarkably equitable fashion. America was a society confident that it could bring a middle-class standard of living (at the very least) and the full rights of citizenship to virtually everyone. This sense of possibility has evaporated. In this book longtime New York Times columnist Bob Herbert combines devastating stories of suffering Americans with keen political analysis to show where decades of corporate greed, political apathy, and short-term thinking have led: America's infrastructure is crumbling, our schools fail our children, unnecessary wars maim our young men, and underemployment plagues a generation. He traces how the United States went wrong, exposing the slow, dangerous shift of political influence from the working population in the 1960s to the corporate and financial elite today, who act largely in their own self-interest. But the situation isn't entirely hopeless. Herbert argues that by tapping the creative ideas of people across the country who are implementing solutions at the local level, the middle class can reassert its power, put the economy back on track, and usher in a new progressive era"-- Provided by publisher. Middle class United States. Clase media Estados Unidos. 1930 United States Social conditions 21st century. United States Economic conditions 21st century. United States Politics and government 1989- Estados Unidos Condiciones sociales Siglo XXI. 2135 Estados Unidos Condiciones económicas Siglo XXI 1552 Estados Unidos Política y gobierno 1989- 2199 lcc BK rsfv 0 0 0 0 RR BJB BJB RR 2023-04-04 0 HN 59.2 H536l 2014 00000121466 2018-10-23 00:00:00 1 2018-10-23 BK