Rating: 
Summary: This is THE book on Greenspan
Review: This is a true biography of the man - who he is and how he became the most respected head of the Federal Reserve Bank.Here is a man who is a principled adherent of free markets and liberty; yet he heads the most powerful means of government intervention in the economy. He has defended the efficacy of the markets over four decades, from his opposition to anti-trust laws to the deregulation of financial institutions. Now he is Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Here is a man who is a passionate believer in the ethical defense of free markets; however, he wins the respect of people with a broad range of views by his tempered rhetoric, patience, and considerate manner. Notably, he has worked with Republican and Democratic administrations as Fed Chairman. Here is a man who maintained close ties to philosophical and ideological political writers while running a profitable economic consultancy involving hard-core statistical modeling of economic predictors. This seemingly complex multi-faceted man is made intelligible through the excellent research of Mr. Martin. I have been reading about Greenspan for over 25 years and I have followed his public career. In addition, we in the finance industry follow his every word. From common acquaintances, I have heard numerous stories about the man that have added the human dimension. From what I know, Mr. Martin has written a fair description of Greenspan's life to date. What emerges is a balanced picture consisting of human development, professional development and public achievements. Martin contrasts Greenspan the other characters that enter the story: Milton Friedman, Richard Nixon, Ayn Rand, Gerald Ford, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Andrea Mitchell, Arthur Burns, etc. There is a priceless story during a meeting of a commission addressing the feasibility of replacing the draft with a volunteer military - there was a confrontation between General Westmoreland on one side and Greenspan and Friedman on the other side. These and other contrasts are used effectively in building a picture of the man.
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