Rating: 
Summary: Economics for the conscientious
Review: "Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train" states a dire dilemma that affects us all. Not only is the problem clearly stated, but the solution comprises the second half of the book: a call to replace the illogical perpetuity of economic growth with a vastly more reasonable steady-state economy, in which all citizens are well educated and comfortable. Czech acknowledges that this might sound utopian and unrealistic, but his proposals and vision are both achievable and permanently viable. Once realized, people will be happier; it will be true happiness, as there will be more time for self-actualization and learning, not the faux "happiness" that money does buy.Czech offers a long-overdue redefinition of social classes from an ecological perspective, one that avoids the accusation of "class warfare." The new classes--whose relationships, intersections, and conflicts are meticulously detailed--are defined less in terms of how much money one has, than of how it is being spent, whether there is excessive consumption, etc. Many years later, finally, I see that my miser of a millionaire uncle is to be respected for being a steady-stater. Czech provides useful suggestions for activism. This book helped solve a personal crisis of mine. I perceived severe defects in our economic model and felt we're practicing capitalism poorly. Admittedly we're a wealthy nation, but who exactly has most of the capital--the income gap ever widening--and at what cost and sacrifice, to ourselves, other animals, and our home that is Earth? I was desperate enough to have considered democratic socialism! Now I know what is required: a reformation of capitalism. Czech, employing common sense, layman's terms, and sound logic--all well-documented and cited, of course, and backed by education and experience--builds an exemplary and reasonable case that an economic revolution on a Copernican scale to a steady-state economy is not only wise but absolutely essential. As a bonus, his writing is highly readable and entertaining. I knew little to nothing about economics before opening this book, but I must've expended at a minimum two highlighters on this educational, illuminating piece of work. I want all my friends to read this now!
Rating:
Summary: Serious, Moral, Thoughtful, Disturbing, Sensible, Alone
Review: There are some very harsh truths in this book, in which a very thoughtful Conservation Biologist takes on the very hard challenge of defining a political and economic model that is survivable. From his early doctrine of "competitive exclusion" (one species can benefit only at the expense of others) to his methodical and progressive dismantling of economic growth as an unquestioned political goal, of the prevailing economic theories as being totally insane (efficiency does not prevent the depletion of natural capital from a limited earth), to his sensible and moral and provocative outlining of the ecological economics (or the economics of environmental survival), this is a book that teaches and this is a man I would trust to counsel a future President.... This book will appeal to anyone who considers himself or herself a Cultural Creative, and I hope it appeals to the "silent majority" that could yet make a difference in "political economy." Whether we save the Earth for future generations boils down to this: are the citizens of the various nations, the employees of the various corporations, prepared to think for themselves? Are they prepared to join the global grid of free thinkers and cyber-advocates that are finding that the Internet is the lever that will move the world and empower the people once again? The author argues, in a compelling, academically sound and morally encouraging way, that America above all nations finds itself in a new civil war, a war between the "liquidating class" and the "steady state" class. Besides citizens, this book will provoke and enlighten venture fund managers, political action campaign managers, and leaders of any organization. Others have certainly been down this road, the Club of Rome being especially noteworthy as an early attempt to establish trade-off values, but I believe this gentle, capable professional (with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Refugees) has written a timely book that is in its own way the "Silent Spring" of this generation. Perhaps more to the point, he makes it clear that all environmental issues, all economic issues, are inherently political, and we the voters have a choice in every election: between the candidate indebted to corporate carpetbaggers, and the candidate beholden to the people.
Rating:
Summary: A plan to stop the runaway train
Review: Brian Czech is a wildlife bioligist by profession and it is interesting that he should choose to write this book on the topic of steady-state economics. He notes in the prologue that his epiphany came while on a trawling boat in the Bering Sea. He wondered how the ship could hold the enormous catch it was bringing in until it dawned on him that the fish were being caught for their roe and then pumped out to sea "as a sort of ichthyological hamburger." It was the beginning of the realisation that the real roots of environmental destruction lay in economic growth and that if he wanted to save the forests and wildlife that he loved he would have to work on the challenging the assumptions of neo-classical economics.
Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train is divided into two parts. The first part is entitled "The Runaway Train" and it details the problems with economic growth and neo-classical economics and gives an overview of ecological economics. The second part is entitled "Stopping the Train" and it details Czech's model for a "Steady State Revolution" which would transform the growth economy to a steady state economy. Czech does an exceptional job of explaining the problems of neo-classical economics and its obsession with growth. He cleverly redefines economic growth as "economic bloating" and he avoids bogging the reader down with technical terms. This makes the book accessible and interesting to readers of all backgrounds. He argues that there is need for a Copernican revolution in the world view of neo-classical economists. "Only when we have a more Copernican economics will economists live in a world in which economic growth is limited, where the rest of us common folk are already stuck," Czech writes. Just as the universe does not revolve around the world, neither can limitless economic growth occur in a finite world. Indeed Czech rightly points out that this is simply common sense, but he is also aware of the power of the paradigm and also the power of politics which both seek to maintain the status quo. In the last chapter of part one Czech introduces ecological economics. The chapter is entitled "Copernicus, are you out there?" which again alludes to the need for a paradigm shift. He notes that many of the great discoveries in science have been made by people working outside their field. This is because they work with fewer assumptions and "do not suffer the tunnel vision of the paradigm." This is the reason why many of those who challenge the economic growth model come from a background in the physical and biological sciences. It is also noted that the contribution of scientists alone to ecological economics is not sufficient. Those devoted to the study of economics still have an important role to play for it is they who truly understand the nuances of what makes an economy work. It is here that the work of Daly and others is significant. Having spelled out the problem and given an overview of the solution, Czech delivers his manifesto for a "steady state revolution" in part two of the book. He asserts that there is a need for "nothing less than a revolution, a social revolution to match the academic revolution of ecological economics." (p. 111) The target of Czech's revolution is over consumption or more specifically what he defines as conspicuous consumption. This is the indulgences of the very rich which go way beyond any kinds of need. The steady state revolution is based on a radical definition of the classes (although it should be noted it has nothing to do with Marxism). Three new classes are defined-the liquidating class, the amorphic class and the steady state class. There are some interesting reasons for targeting the super rich and perhaps one of the best ones is that a vastly disproportionate share of the additional wealth created by economic growth goes to those in the liquidating and amorphic classes. This statistic is interesting: "The average income of the 80 percent of Americans who are non-managerial has declined over the past twenty years." Another interesting statistic is that "approximately 99 percent of the annual increase in American's wealth goes to the 20 percent that is most wealthy. While I see there are some problems with Czech's idea for a steady state revolution they do not really detract that much from the book overall. Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train is an engaging read and provides much food for thought. It is a welcome addition to the body of literature that explore alternatives to the current economic system.
Rating:
Summary: LOU RUKYSER - READ THIS BOOK!!
Review: Brian Czech is one of the few people who can step back from all the hype of our capitalist economy and look at where we've been and where we are going. In the book, he describes how current economic thinking evolved. He then goes on to lay out what will happen if we keep equating the display of wealth with comfort and luxury, and not the stealing of resources from our children and grandchildren that it truly is. Beyond simply pointing out the problem, though, he goes on to offer a solution...Lou Rukyser should not be the only one to read this book. It should be mandatory reading for all economics teachers, as well as anyone even slightly interested in leaving a world to our children and grandchildren they will thank us for, and not ask "Why did you leave nothing for us?"
Rating: 
Summary: Another important clue in uncovering the world we live in
Review: Brian has really impressed with his thoughtful analysis of our economy from both an intellectual and spirtual viewpoint. Unfortunately, none of this can be easily proved, but that is the case with the most important things in our lives, all of which have a spirtual base (religion, our role in society, role in the family, etc.). Brian has uncovered and clarified issues which have probably been rolling around in the back of many of our minds, for example the link between Darwinism, Maslow's heirarchy, and sexuality. (The real spirit of how things work is deeply embedded in our passions, sexuality, etc, and we must uncover these things to get to the root of all critical life issues). He also proposed a viewpoint of the role of the wealthy in our society, how their behavior impacts our economny and ecology, and how we all are capable of the same behavior if we had a few more dollars in our pocket, so perhaps a little better understanding of each other across "classes" is in order. Brian only loosely alluded to the role of addiction in the behavior of the wealthy (e.g. if you have a hundred million dollars, why do you need more, what are you trying to prove, and aren't you in a position to exercize the most important human / spirtual values?). Perhaps a closer look at the role of addiction and prevalance of addictive behaviors and how they contribute to "success" and sustain destructive behaviors and ego based delusions at the expense of a more spirtual well roundedness would be in order. Brian makes an excellent point about how a real solution requires a change in the mindset of the populace (very Jeffersonian) to be more aware and more involved in solving these problems, however he falls short with solid solutions. But then again, maybe there are no simple solutions. This book is about awareness, and it does a great job at it.
Rating:
Summary: Another important clue in uncovering the world we live in
Review: Brian has really impressed with his thoughtful analysis of our economy from both an intellectual and spirtual viewpoint. Unfortunately, none of this can be easily proved, but that is the case with the most important things in our lives, all of which have a spirtual base (religion, our role in society, role in the family, etc.). Brian has uncovered and clarified issues which have probably been rolling around in the back of many of our minds, for example the link between Darwinism, Maslow's heirarchy, and sexuality. (The real spirit of how things work is deeply embedded in our passions, sexuality, etc, and we must uncover these things to get to the root of all critical life issues). He also proposed a viewpoint of the role of the wealthy in our society, how their behavior impacts our economny and ecology, and how we all are capable of the same behavior if we had a few more dollars in our pocket, so perhaps a little better understanding of each other across "classes" is in order. Brian only loosely alluded to the role of addiction in the behavior of the wealthy (e.g. if you have a hundred million dollars, why do you need more, what are you trying to prove, and aren't you in a position to exercize the most important human / spirtual values?). Perhaps a closer look at the role of addiction and prevalance of addictive behaviors and how they contribute to "success" and sustain destructive behaviors and ego based delusions at the expense of a more spirtual well roundedness would be in order. Brian makes an excellent point about how a real solution requires a change in the mindset of the populace (very Jeffersonian) to be more aware and more involved in solving these problems, however he falls short with solid solutions. But then again, maybe there are no simple solutions. This book is about awareness, and it does a great job at it.
Rating:
Summary: The Truth About Economics
Review: Czech offers a readable and compelling argument about the need for a more common sense approach to our national obsession with economic growth. His discussions of the psychological and biological underpinnings of our human tendencies toward "conspicuous consumption" are thorough and intriguing, but anyone interested in the spiritual underpinnings will probably want to look elsewhere (e.g., Small is Beautiful). Granted, this isn't really intended to be that sort of book. I agree with Czech that a cultural revolution that shows disdain for "economic bloating" is needed (although I would call for a more charitable disdain than he does). However, I don't agree that "liquidators" necessarily make up the majority of those who have forgone self-actualization to satisfy the baser demands of self-esteem. Even self-actualized people can be ignorant about certain things (like ecological economics) and even the most "psychologically healthy" of us struggle with the human tendency to covet all that glitters, whether it's Real Gold or not. Brian writes that "...in our physical manifestation we are a species that is subject to the same laws of nature as all others" and that is pretty much the bottom line. We live in a world of finite resources, yet the neoclassical economists, a vast majority of the public, and even politicians seem to not (or not want to) understand this. And, as anybody who is familiar with the history of world civilization knows, we aren't the first culture to have tried to beat the odds.
Rating:
Summary: Important reading
Review: Czech's treatise on the steady-state revolution should give pause to anyone who is concerned about the future our younger generations will inherit. Other alternative economic paradigms have been proposed, but few are as relevant to long-term sustainability. After reading Shoveling Fuel, one cannot help but stop chanting the perpetual growth mantra at least temporarily.
Rating:
Summary: Read this for ¿the grandkids¿
Review: Czech, a wildlife biologist who later did post-graduate work in economics, provides an interesting analysis and critique of the concept of economic growth in the U.S. He challenges the notion that economic growth can continue unabated, as all resources, however abundant at one point, are finite, and all economic activity, down to the most tertiary of service sectors, depends to some extent on production (use, consumption, processing of natural resources). He also quite plausibly refutes an argument often made by economists who support the growth theory that lower prices of raw materials or resources bascially mean an abundance thereof (often it simply means that extraction or labor costs have gone down). Like any good ecologist, he also stresses that market costs of a given economic activity rarely reflect the real cost to things like the potable water supply, air quality, etc. Czech also introduces some interesting new terms to environmental economic parlance, such as economic bloating as a substitute for economic growth, or 'liquidating class' to refer to that section of the population that consumes conspicuously and needlessly. Czech calls for a transition to a zero-growth or steady-state economy (hardly a new concept) which does not entail dismantling or even radically changing the current capitalist system. The main problem is that this requires a major attitude change, nothing short of a revolution, in the way people think about the economy, growth and the future (if they do at all). While some of the conclusions about how this can be achieved are questionable, this is generally a very thought-provoking book. Czech does a good job of blending economic theory with his knowledge of the natural sciences, and making it all quite readable and understandable. If you can get past his constant use of the rather annoying rhetorical device about "the grandkids," this is a very worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: Radical Economics
Review: I am a visiting assistant professor in biology at a small liberal arts college north of Chicago. I teach an environmental biology course based on Miller's popular "Environmental Science" text, which is good, but I like to push the students to think outside the box. So I've been reading other books looking for a secondary text. "Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train" is an excellent book! I'm afraid it's a little too much for the freshmen level students that make up the bulk of my class, but I've encouraged my friends and colleagues to add this to their summer reading list.
I approached an economics professor to explore teaching an upper division seminar course based on Czech's book. The ideas Brian presents would seem to be ideally suited to liberal arts students and I thought it would be fun to challenge the status quo in economics. My colleague dismissed the notion as 'radical economics' and declined to touch the subject with the proverbial 10-foot pole.
The problem, to summarize some very profound writing, is that we've lost track of what is important in life. Classical economics has provided a mechanism/crutch whereby too many of us assess our self-worth. Every TV news report I see opens with a report on how the stock market has done for the day. We've become fixated on quantities, because it's convenient to have some objective number with which to measure our own self-worth. What we need to be doing is assessing our self-worth in other ways - looking more at quality of life rather than quantity of material possessions or the value of our stock portfolio. What we need is a subjective mechanism to assess ourselves - but that's going to entail some painful reflection and soul-searching (only painful I suppose if you're a shameful spender and member of the liquidating class). Money is not the only form of wealth, but it can be readily counted and compared with the wealth of others - and this is the trap into which so many fall.
"Shoveling" is the best book I've read in a long time. I won't be able to develop this into a course anytime soon but I'm still trying and hope to in the future. The ideas presented here may be 'radical economics' but trying times often call for radical solutions and Czech lays out a path to get things started toward a better future. It won't happen overnight, but after reading this book I'm inspired to try and do some small part to make this vision come to fruition. I highly recommend this book for everyone, not just those interested in environmental issues. This is a work of philosophy by a man who spent a lot of time in the woods, reflecting.
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