Title: Abandoned : the betrayal of the American middle class since World War II /
Authors: Quirk, William J., 1933-; Bridwell, R. Randall.
Publisher: Madison Books,
Year: 1992
Subjects: Middle class United States.; Intellectuals United States.; United States Social conditions; United States Economic conditions; United States Politics and government; United States Politics and government
Abstract: Do you consider yourself a member of the middle class? Eighty percent of Americans describe themselves in those terms; working-class citizens who are neither rich nor poor. Has the government addressed the needs of the middle class to your satisfaction? William J. Quirk and R. Randall Bridwell argue that the fundamental interests of the middle class have been ignored and undermined since WWII. This provocative book chronicles the events which have defined the post-WWII political and economic period, and shows how the middle class has been compromised in the process. From the New York City fiscal crisis of the 70s, to the rise of the new judicial activism, to the looming economic influence of Japan, the authors show for the first time how these developments are interrelated.
Contents: pt. 1. The Money Abandonment. Ch. 1. New York City Fiscal Crisis: 1974-1975: A Dry Run and Some Characters Introduced. John Newton Mitchell. Donald Trump. William Edward Simon. Felix George Rohatyn. The Abandonment. The Fix. The Sell-Out. Epilogue. Ch. 2. The Middle-Class Cow and the National Debt. Before the Sixties. From 1965 On. Ch. 3. The Oil Gouge and Third World Debt. The Attack. The Bankers. Ch. 4. The Tax Abandonment. Ch. 5. Social Security--The Sting. Ch. 6. The Savings and Loan Fiasco. The Traditional S & L 1831-1982. The Congressional S & L. Diary of the $100,000 Deal. The Keating Five. Ch. 7. Filing for Bankruptcy: The Budget Deal of 1990 -- pt. II. The Political Abandonment. Ch. 8. The Homeless Majority -- pt. III. The Legal Abandonment: Trustees of the Temple. Ch. 9. Cornerstone. Ch. 10. Renovation. Ch. 11. The New Legal Science. Ch. 12. The Modern Court. Race. The End of the Individual. Beyond Race. The Goodbye Music. Crime.