| At the recommendation of a friend, I read “Downsize This!” by Michael Moore. I found it a funny and provocative book about the state of business and politics in America. Be warned! – Nobody will be able to read this book without being offended by something. At the same time, nobody will be able to read this book without finding at least one issue that they think is important. If even half the facts in the book are true (and Moore says they all are), then there are a lot of things wrong in America right now. My favorite chapters were the ones on corporate welfare (he tells about how many millions of dollars in aid some large corporations receive from our government and how they repay our tax money by laying off people) and the ones on loyalty that a company does (or doesn’t) owe to the city or state that gave it tax breaks and incentives to do business there. He gives examples of companies that receive $100,000s in tax breaks from a city and turn around and move their plants to other cities. |
I guarantee that something in the book will make you stop and think. Something else in the book will probably upset you too. It’s a comedy – mostly satiric – but with a point.