jrobles76's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I can actually point to 3 things I think made this book really good.
1. President Clinton used data from what works in other countries and from local governments to make the case for his suggestions and initiatives. This is a problem with many people who push policy. They ignore when something similar was tried elsewhere (whether to good or bad result). If a program has been tried, then expand it. It takes a little of the risk of investment out of the solution.
2. The book is filled with actionable items. If you're in business, you know how important action items are. You can talk about changing a culture, but without action items, it's just philosophy.
3. The book suggests we try a lot of things and keep what works. This is a tenet of Jim Collins research on what makes a great company (one of many) and is something we should do. The problem is that I don't think the United States government has the flexibility to attempt many new things (especially not with a conservative government - even Dems are conservative when it comes to new ideas)
The problem, and one that Clinton points out, is that there is a fear of spending. It's understandable given the bank bailouts. But the problem is that the bank bailouts were done with no strings attached. That was the equivalent throwing money at the problem (which Republicans always accuse Democrats of doing). Intelligent spending (which may be impossible for our Congress) spends money where it needs to be spent and asks for results. For instance, if you have a leaky roof, it's not throwing money at the problem to hire a roofer to fix it. But you would expect the money you spent to stop the leak. Clinton's book, figuratively, gives us the names of several great roofing companies.
I don't know how much of this book will be implemented, but there are so many solutions that trying just a handful could have great positive results.
Great read for anyone looking for solutions to our current economic crisis.
1. President Clinton used data from what works in other countries and from local governments to make the case for his suggestions and initiatives. This is a problem with many people who push policy. They ignore when something similar was tried elsewhere (whether to good or bad result). If a program has been tried, then expand it. It takes a little of the risk of investment out of the solution.
2. The book is filled with actionable items. If you're in business, you know how important action items are. You can talk about changing a culture, but without action items, it's just philosophy.
3. The book suggests we try a lot of things and keep what works. This is a tenet of Jim Collins research on what makes a great company (one of many) and is something we should do. The problem is that I don't think the United States government has the flexibility to attempt many new things (especially not with a conservative government - even Dems are conservative when it comes to new ideas)
The problem, and one that Clinton points out, is that there is a fear of spending. It's understandable given the bank bailouts. But the problem is that the bank bailouts were done with no strings attached. That was the equivalent throwing money at the problem (which Republicans always accuse Democrats of doing). Intelligent spending (which may be impossible for our Congress) spends money where it needs to be spent and asks for results. For instance, if you have a leaky roof, it's not throwing money at the problem to hire a roofer to fix it. But you would expect the money you spent to stop the leak. Clinton's book, figuratively, gives us the names of several great roofing companies.
I don't know how much of this book will be implemented, but there are so many solutions that trying just a handful could have great positive results.
Great read for anyone looking for solutions to our current economic crisis.
annakmeyer's review against another edition
4.0
Gets a little dense, a little self-congratulatory, but why not, really?
As always, good stuff from Mr. Clinton.
As always, good stuff from Mr. Clinton.
ceceinohio's review
5.0
A must read if you care about our country's future
Intelligent Plan to get our economy going again. Clinton's thoughts are provocative but filled with common sense. I learned a great amount about what I can do to help our future.
Intelligent Plan to get our economy going again. Clinton's thoughts are provocative but filled with common sense. I learned a great amount about what I can do to help our future.
booknerd_therapist's review against another edition
4.0
"America at its core is an idea -- the idea that no matter who you are or where you're from, if you work hard and play by the rules, you'll have the freedom and opportunity to pursue your own dreams and leave your kids a country where they can chase theirs...Work is about more than making a living...It's fundamental to human dignity, to our sense of self-worth as useful, independent, free people..."
Whatever your political leanings, you'd foolish indeed to disagree with that notion. I am a textbook example of a fed-up American: a recent college grad with loans to pay off, a laid off school teacher, unemployed for 6+ months, and sick to death of party politics and liberal and conservative extremism. Since I've been unemployed, I've picked up three freelance writing gigs, one of which is freelance journalism writing an independent politics column. In my (short) travels, I have met people in far worse circumstances than I am in: a domestic abuse victim who has been homeless since her husband threw her out on the street, a disabled young lady who was laid off and cannot find another job largely as a result of her disability, a mother who needs to live three hours away from her family and small business just to have a job with health insurance, children who take empty lunchboxes to school because they're too embarrassed to let people find out they can't afford to eat, and so on. Anyone who looks at these people and can say the system is fair with a straight face is ignorant at best and stone-cold heartless at worst.
A Florida resident for the last 21 years of my life, I am disgusted with the Conservative political climate in this state. Our educational system is all but defunct, we have the third highest population of homeless veterans, and our unemployment rate is well above the national average. And yet, Floridians refuse to change, still voting in the same people with the same ideas that don't work.
Unfortunately, Obama has been a disappointment as well. It's no comfort to promise people hope and change, and then do the same things Bush did. Race to the Top, for example, is only slightly different than No Child Left Behind, and every bit as ineffective. As long as our education system remains obsessed with standardized testing, there can be NO PROGRESS.
Rick Scott and Barrack Obama represent political extremism for their respective parties. If this country is going to get anywhere, we need to get away from that nonsense and use common sense.
Clinton, while a Democrat, is at least closer to center than others. What is most refreshing about this book is that he doesn't mention gay marriage, sex education, evolution, religion, or anything else that should remain private and personal. He focuses on practical issues that the government can and should have a role in, such as the development of new technology, improving the educational system, and, perhaps most importantly, what the government should do to help put people back to work. And no -- it's not raising taxes on the rich! It's offering incentives for hiring (such as a payroll tax holiday)! All of the bickering and finger-pointing is getting us nowhere. Instead of the Republicans demanding fewer taxes and Democrats arguing for more, take the same amount of money we have -- whatever may be left of it -- and use it to help put people back to work. The rich get a payroll tax holiday and the poor get jobs -- everyone wins.
Whatever your opinion of Mr. Clinton may be, one cannot deny the practicality of his suggestions and potential solutions. I strongly encourage others to read this book, and vote for people with practical ideas instead of party influence.
Whatever your political leanings, you'd foolish indeed to disagree with that notion. I am a textbook example of a fed-up American: a recent college grad with loans to pay off, a laid off school teacher, unemployed for 6+ months, and sick to death of party politics and liberal and conservative extremism. Since I've been unemployed, I've picked up three freelance writing gigs, one of which is freelance journalism writing an independent politics column. In my (short) travels, I have met people in far worse circumstances than I am in: a domestic abuse victim who has been homeless since her husband threw her out on the street, a disabled young lady who was laid off and cannot find another job largely as a result of her disability, a mother who needs to live three hours away from her family and small business just to have a job with health insurance, children who take empty lunchboxes to school because they're too embarrassed to let people find out they can't afford to eat, and so on. Anyone who looks at these people and can say the system is fair with a straight face is ignorant at best and stone-cold heartless at worst.
A Florida resident for the last 21 years of my life, I am disgusted with the Conservative political climate in this state. Our educational system is all but defunct, we have the third highest population of homeless veterans, and our unemployment rate is well above the national average. And yet, Floridians refuse to change, still voting in the same people with the same ideas that don't work.
Unfortunately, Obama has been a disappointment as well. It's no comfort to promise people hope and change, and then do the same things Bush did. Race to the Top, for example, is only slightly different than No Child Left Behind, and every bit as ineffective. As long as our education system remains obsessed with standardized testing, there can be NO PROGRESS.
Rick Scott and Barrack Obama represent political extremism for their respective parties. If this country is going to get anywhere, we need to get away from that nonsense and use common sense.
Clinton, while a Democrat, is at least closer to center than others. What is most refreshing about this book is that he doesn't mention gay marriage, sex education, evolution, religion, or anything else that should remain private and personal. He focuses on practical issues that the government can and should have a role in, such as the development of new technology, improving the educational system, and, perhaps most importantly, what the government should do to help put people back to work. And no -- it's not raising taxes on the rich! It's offering incentives for hiring (such as a payroll tax holiday)! All of the bickering and finger-pointing is getting us nowhere. Instead of the Republicans demanding fewer taxes and Democrats arguing for more, take the same amount of money we have -- whatever may be left of it -- and use it to help put people back to work. The rich get a payroll tax holiday and the poor get jobs -- everyone wins.
Whatever your opinion of Mr. Clinton may be, one cannot deny the practicality of his suggestions and potential solutions. I strongly encourage others to read this book, and vote for people with practical ideas instead of party influence.
dorhastings's review against another edition
4.0
I don't have too much to say about this book. I'm honestly shocked that my library had this book in audio format, especially since it was published so very recently. I picked it because a.) I had to listen to something in my car, b.) I do like and respect Bill Clinton, and 3.) he read his own book.
I got a few messages from this book. Granted, I kind of zoned out more often than not, but the two major themes I heard in this book have to do with the anti-government positionality (and, in a related way, idealism versus ideology) and our relationship with other countries in the world. I appreciate that he goes into a little history of the anti-government push. It's certainly something that's stuck with us since the beginning of the US, but it seems like it's been coming up a whole lot more recently in the last swarm of anti-government tea party members of Congress. This also troubles ideology: sticking to your guns on issues such as "taxes are bad" when we're in such poor financial straits. I feel like there's been a lot of talk of "let's not punish the people who are doing well just because other people are messing up; we shouldn't have to pay for your mistakes." If you want taxes, apparently you're a socialist. But if we're talking about the success of the country, then maybe taxes aren't such a bad thing.
He also talks about our relationship with other countries, but I have less to say about that. The only thing I'd say is that we can't ignore other countries or how much we would gain by buying more of our own products and exporting our products to other countries. We really do give very little money in our budget to other countries in terms of aid. Isolating ourselves ignores how the world works.
I appreciated this book quite a bit. If you don't want to hear Clinton make any references to his time in office, then you won't like this. I didn't mind it.
I got a few messages from this book. Granted, I kind of zoned out more often than not, but the two major themes I heard in this book have to do with the anti-government positionality (and, in a related way, idealism versus ideology) and our relationship with other countries in the world. I appreciate that he goes into a little history of the anti-government push. It's certainly something that's stuck with us since the beginning of the US, but it seems like it's been coming up a whole lot more recently in the last swarm of anti-government tea party members of Congress. This also troubles ideology: sticking to your guns on issues such as "taxes are bad" when we're in such poor financial straits. I feel like there's been a lot of talk of "let's not punish the people who are doing well just because other people are messing up; we shouldn't have to pay for your mistakes." If you want taxes, apparently you're a socialist. But if we're talking about the success of the country, then maybe taxes aren't such a bad thing.
He also talks about our relationship with other countries, but I have less to say about that. The only thing I'd say is that we can't ignore other countries or how much we would gain by buying more of our own products and exporting our products to other countries. We really do give very little money in our budget to other countries in terms of aid. Isolating ourselves ignores how the world works.
I appreciated this book quite a bit. If you don't want to hear Clinton make any references to his time in office, then you won't like this. I didn't mind it.
mpvb's review against another edition
2.0
Sweet Jesus, that was a rough one. The man likes his numbers.
bravelass85's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this clear account of where we are now, why, and where we can go next. I hope our government acts on many of his suggestions...
boureemusique's review against another edition
4.0
President Clinton argues that the U.S. should employ ideas, not ideology - and pragmatism, not partisanship - to get U.S. citizens back to work. In this book, he riffs specifics. He's a little light on the sustainability stuff but he has some good ideas.
masyukun's review against another edition
4.0
I grew up in a conservative Republican Christian fundamentalist home, and in 1992 when I was in 2nd grade, Bill Clinton was the enemy. He was trying to tax and spend the United States into the poor house, and wanted Big Government in every area of life, taking away our freedoms and jobs.
What a shock to read this book. Bill Clinton is advocating government programs, yes, but in ways that intelligently target real problems in measurable ways. Bill Clinton is a rationalist, and opposes ideological stances that deny the failures of their ideas' outcomes. Listening to the audiobook on my commutes, I found myself cheering Clinton on in his zeal for analyzing what works, and found his perspective on those early 90s political battles enlightening and refreshing.
As a Libertarian today, I do not believe the answer to all of our problems is to have government carefully manage everything, but I do agree with President Clinton that we must respectfully engage with those who disagree -- with a shared bedrock of rationalism and data analysis -- in order to restore and maintain our economic and civic health.
What a shock to read this book. Bill Clinton is advocating government programs, yes, but in ways that intelligently target real problems in measurable ways. Bill Clinton is a rationalist, and opposes ideological stances that deny the failures of their ideas' outcomes. Listening to the audiobook on my commutes, I found myself cheering Clinton on in his zeal for analyzing what works, and found his perspective on those early 90s political battles enlightening and refreshing.
As a Libertarian today, I do not believe the answer to all of our problems is to have government carefully manage everything, but I do agree with President Clinton that we must respectfully engage with those who disagree -- with a shared bedrock of rationalism and data analysis -- in order to restore and maintain our economic and civic health.