SEVEN FAT YEARS

Rating:
Summary: The Label "Trickle-Down Economics" is Liberal Idiocy
Review: Robert Bartley wrote the most important and well-written economic history of the 1980s. It will stand as a rock of common sense and reason, while the shabby brickbats of Reagan's detractors will fade away.

The technical aspects of economics is very challenging to understand. That's what so great about it. Most of detractors of Reagan's economic policies were shrill. Bartley manages to make all the arguments between economists intelligible.

You learn how economic theory affected everyday life in the 1970s, 1980s, and very early 1990s.

Of paramount importance is the theme that runs through Bartley's robust analysis - THE fight of the 20th century: capitalism vs. socialism. Capitalism won and Reagan was its leading public spokesman AT A POINT WHEN HE WAS DESPERATELY NEEDED.

You will learn just how much in deep trouble the American dollar was, and how Americans pulled together to rise out of the Jimmy Carter malaise.

To try to understand all the fuss and debate over economics in politics and electioneering without the Seven Fat Years would be a mistake.

Reagan's economic policies and the people who helped shape it are a fundamental factor in making the USA a winner of the cold war and a superpower.




Rating:
Summary: The True Story on How Economics Works
Review: Robert Bartley, former editor of the Wall Street Journal (may he rest in peace), has written one of the best accounts of the 1980s economic policies, explaining what led to the economic growth, and what can be done to re-create these policies once again.

Many people who claim to oppose supply-side economics never explain how the theory works. The notion that Reagan's tax cuts were mere "trickle down" economics is buttressed by the fact that no one claims that the money will "trickle down." That is not how the economic philosophy works in theory or in practice. Instead, the theory considers high taxes to be another example in which a high cost placed on a product or service is likely to result in fewer interested buyers. Similarly, high marginal tax rates are more likely to stiffle growth since the reward for working additional hours is diminished. Those with small businesses, or those who invest, may decide that the extra work will not translate into higher returns, and thus may produce less. That is not good for the economy because this stiffles economic growth, and is a recipe for stagnation, which is exactly what happened in the 1970s. So reduce taxes to create more growth. The marginal rate fell from 70% to 28% during Reagan's tenure.

The other part of Reagan's program was to have a tigheter monetary policy. By tightening the dollar, it would reduce inflation. Thus, tighten the dollar, reduce inflation, and reduce taxes, and create growth. That is exactly what happened. During Reagan's tenure, inflation went down and growth went up. THIS IS AN INDISPUTABLE FACT.

The left does not like this theory because it contradicts the notion that government has an effect in creating economic growth.

But no matter what the liberals want to think, the young economist who went to Eureka College -- Ronald Reagan -- outsmarted all of them. His plan worked, while Jimmy Carter, the man who thought he knew everything, was an abyssmal failure.

Michael Gordon

Rating:
Summary: Pure bunk
Review: Robert L. Bartley must have been living on a different planet(during the 1980's) with this book. OR he is really just trying, sincerely, to sell a book with complete (deceptions). We hope(for our mental sake that he was living on a different planet) and NOT being a hypocrite in (relaying) inaccurate data/events by trying to pull the wool over our economic eyebrows with this book of hyper lies or exaggerations.

The Reagan first term in office started with lies!. His early 1981 Tax breaks, were masked by tax increases(state and local taxes rose). He also claimed that he would be responsive and
responsible for sound fiscal budgetary accounting. His entire term in office was scarred by ballooning federal budget deficits.

Because of his overwhelming budget cuts(he sold the American people in early 1980 on STARVING late 1970's hyper inflation by cutting the budget and Federal Reserve monetary supply so severly, too severly) and because of the real tax breaks (and) tax increases in the early 1980's and because of left over inflationary pressures from the Carter and Nixon years,therefore THE FIRST half of the first term of Reagan's years were marked by an early (1980's technical recession, just look at the GDP figures for that period). And every so called heavy weight media and non media conservative in this country allowed this lie of 7 fat positive growth years to continue.

The battle cry at the end of Reagan's first term in office fiscally proves my point here. With Reagan's NOW famous "stay the course". He and his campaign fake strategists were ACTUALLY begging us good American's to stay the economic course for his second term. And why?. Because his supply side economic policies of his first term WERE NOT WORKING for positive economic growth. Yes we were in a Contraction or recession during (NEARLY) the entire first half of this so called "7 Fat Years". It was NOT until the mid 80's that economic growth took hold and continued to late 1989(and this was false growth based on government debt/spending and consumer debt/fake borrowing).You are a real jokester, Mr. Robert L. Bartley author of this book. You should have titled this book "4 or 5 Fat Years Based on False Growth or Debt".

Also to throw voodoo economics on top of BAD economics, we as a Nation were treated to the S AND L mess. Co-authored in part by then Vice President George Bush Sr's son in Colorado. That cost us big(in the financial pocket books Mr.and Mrs. America). We are still paying for this calamity in the form of left over 80's now new millenium insurance premiums and fees from our wonderful consumer based banks.

And to top this whole terror Reagan economics off, coupled with too lazy "deregulations" we fell back into a technical recession at the end of his term(1989). NOT because of Bush Sr's lack of his own creative supply side economics. But because of the TOTALLY faulty beginning pen-menship of Reagan economics to begin with(all debt and false/fake economics all the time).

The ONLY really UNIQUE portrait of Reagan economics is: Reagan is one of the few, IF not only American President ever to be partially responsible for creating a technical recession(1981-1983)and fully responsible for 1989-1992 technical recession. How about that as a factorial for you history making maniacs?.

Care to debate it further? Contact me,
www.frankievradioshow.com
at Email:[e-mail]
Phone [phone]

Rating:
Summary: Robert Bartley's account tells it like it was
Review: Ronald Reagan's economic policies in the 1980swere an incredible success, and that is Bartley's in depth thesis. The book describes the Seventies and how the supply-side theory began to take hold. A thorough account of the policies and the people are described in detail.

This is a must read for anyone interested in the truth about Reagan's policies. We witnessed the longest peacetime economic expansion AND disinflation in American history.

Here are the chapter titles:

THE PARADOX OF THE EIGHTIES
1. The Man from Mars

LEAVING THE SEVENTIES
2. The Malaise Decade
3. Michael 1
4. Turning Point
5. Meanwhile, Money
6. Ronald Reagan
7. The Perils of Paul
8. The Panic of '82
9. Boom
10. Sincerest Flattery
11. What You Learned if You Were Awake

INTO THE NINTETIES
12. The Dread Deficit
13. The World
14. The S&L Debacle
15. Greed and Envy
16. Victorian Finance
17. Turning Back?
18. A New Belle Epoque?


Rating:
Summary: Pure bunk
Review: The problem with most contemporary books about economics (or
politics or the stock market) is that it becomes obvious a few
years later that the causes and effects perceived at the time
are not borne out by subsequent events. This book definitely
suffers from this malady. In short, it's an amusing one-sided
supply sider fantasy. Gee whiz, how come the economy boomed under
Clinton with all his gigantic tax increases? Basically supply
side economics is just another smokescreen offered by the haves
to the have-nots. Supply siders are the same people who believe
in Amway and chain letters as a means of getting rich.

Rating:
Summary: Voodoo Economics
Review: The Seven Fat Years is the definitive history of Ronald Reagan's economic policy achievements. But rather than just heaps of praise upon Reagan's policy he goes and does the next step. He shows without a doubt that what truly works in creating real and lasting prosperity. He takes the theory of supply side economics, what the leftist news media slammed and never reported on in a fair and intelligent matter, and makes it highly accessible to any layperson. If you are not a convert after living though the 80's and you are still not a convert after reading this text you a hopelessly incurable socialist.
I would suggest that you also read another book "Economics on Trial: Lies, Myths and Realities" By Mark Skousen. With those two books digested you will know more about real economic policy than 99.9% of all university economics professors.

Rating:
Summary: One of the 25 most important conservative books
Review: Yes, free enterprise capitalism brings more economic benefits than socialism. Reagan's tax cuts worked. There is a great moral truth that people should retain their earnings rather than fork them over to the state bureaucracy. Yet, the Reagan boom did not lift all boats. The mediocre and the inept slipped backward in the 80s just as they have during the Clinton boom of the 90s. The rise of the two wage-earner family, much of it forced on mothers due to economic circumstances (continued high taxes, the collapse of high wage, semi-skilled jobs) is a shame which neither Republican or Democrat or liberal or conservative have really attempted to tackle. The press release, prevelant during the Clinton and Reagan booms, of "We've created ___ million jobs in __ years" is a lazy, stupid, dishonest sort of boast. The families of America would be better off with fewer but better paid jobs rather than a bunch of $8/hr. jobs. The New Class, either conservative or liberal, does not seem to understand it. Mr. Bartley does not understand.