The Unaffordable Nation: Searching for a Decent Life in America

The American dream used to mean that hard work guaranteed a decent life. However, that article of faith is no more. Here, Jones outlines the respective obligations of government and individuals in ensuring a life that is affordable for every person who is willing to work hard.

Many people have noticed that the health of the US economy now seems to require the economic hardship of people who work for a living. Jones (law, Lewis and Clark College, Oregon) addresses the issue by pointing out that there are two approaches for valuing labor, one economic and the other moral. The economic model holds that the supply and demand will provide the labor the economy needs to thrive; the moral model holds that human labor is intrinsically worth something, the exact amount to be negotiated. The two models are not compatible, he says and shows how their mismatch manifests in lawsuits and lotteries, credit welfare, the hatred of paupers, disability, and other facets of daily life. He has striven to make his account accessible to general educated readers. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Transcending ordinary politics, addresses Americans in their capacities as working persons dependent upon their occupations, their employers, and the government regulation of both to earn a decent living alongside the rising costs of nearly everything.