Suchergebnisse

Prelude -- The early twentieth-century American thrift movement -- Precursors of a movement -- Thrift's heyday, 1910s/1930 -- Teaching thrift in the schools -- The philosophy of thrift -- National Thrift Week -- Allies and strange bedfellows -- The international dimension -- The decline of thrift -- From thrift to sustainability

"In this lively and engaging book, Andrew L. Yarrow tells the story of a national movement that promoted an amalgam of values and practices ranging from self-control, money management, and efficiency to conservation, generosity, and planning for the future -- all under the rubric of 'thrift'. Emerging in tandem and in tension with the first flowerings of consumer society, the thrift movement flourished during the 1910s and 1920s and then lingered on the outskirts of American culture from the Depression to the prosperous mid-twentieth century. A post-World War II culture that centered on spending and pleasure made the early-twentieth-century thrift messages seem outdated. Nonetheless, echoes of thrift can be found in currently popular ideas of 'sustainability', and 'simplicity' and in efforts to curtail public and private debt."--Back cover.

The economics profession and the changing discourse -- Economists come to Washington -- Business's new paradigm, "people's capitalism" -- The big postwar story -- Defining the new America for the world -- Beyond civics and the 3 R's -- A flawed measure: critics and realities -- Measuring America in the twenty-first century

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: A New Measure of America? -- Chapter 1: The Economics Profession and the Changing Discourse -- Chapter 2: Economists Come to Washington -- Chapter 3: Business's New Paradigm, "People's Capitalism" -- Chapter 4: The Big Postwar Story -- Chapter 5: Defining the New America for the World -- Chapter 6: Beyond Civics and the 3 R's -- Chapter 7: A Flawed Measure: Critics and Realities -- Chapter 8: Measuring America in the Twenty-first Century -- Notes -- Index -- Back Cover

The United States has always fancied itself a nation apart--"Exceptional" in its values, traditions, and way of life. For most of the country's history, ideas about what made America distinctive generally were framed in terms of a liberal idealism rooted in the thought of John Locke and articulated by Jefferson, Madison, and other Founders. While some commentators also observed that the United States was a land of plenty, itwasn't until the mid-twentieth century that material abundance emerged as the principal standard of American "greatness," as measured by a host of new economic indicators.

In this immensely timely book, Andrew Yarrow brings the sometimes eye-glazing discussion of national debt down to earth, explaining in accessible terms why federal debt is rising (and will soon rise much faster), what effects it may have on Americans if debt is not brought under control, why our government borrows, and what it will take to pay it all back. The picture Yarrow paints should concern all Americans. Specifically, he brings to light how rising Medicare, Social Security, and other spending on one hand, and insufficient government revenues on the other, make a mockery of fiscal responsibility. Deficits and debt, Yarrow asserts, are crowding out spending on needed investments in science, environment, infrastructure, and other domestic discretionary programs and could severely harm our nation's and our citizens' future. But he makes clear that this does not have to be a doomsday scenario. If we act in a bipartisan fashion to restore fiscal health, our legacy to the next generation can be much more than trillions of dollars of IOUs

Intro -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgments -- The View from Washington: Six Democrats and Six Republicans Talk About Debt -- Chapter 1: What Are Deficits and Debt, and Why Are They Growing? -- Chapter 2: Balancing and Unbalancing Our Budget: A History of Government Debt in the United States -- Chapter 3: How Deficits Are Funded -- Chapter 4: How Deficits and Debt Affect America and You -- Chapter 5: The Potential Dangers of Doing Nothing, or Fiddling While Our Economy Goes Up in Smoke -- Chapter 6: The Politics of Deficits and Debt -- Chapter 7: What Can and Should Be Done to Reduce America's Deficits and Debt? -- Chapter 8: Concluding Thoughts: A Nation That Balances Its Books and a Government That Invests in America's Future -- Notes -- Index.

This article examines how U.S. Cold War print propaganda shifted from an emphasis in the late 1940s on America's liberal democratic idealism to an emphasis by the mid-1950s on the country's high and rising living standards and shiny new system of "people's capitalism." The United States could claim to have beaten the Soviet Union at its own game, providing "classless abundance for all." These messages echoed those disseminated domestically, in which political leaders, business executives, journalists, and educators increasingly defined America's greatest virtues and identity in economic terms, emphasizing growth and prosperity. This article assesses how the United States—via the U.S. Information Agency and its precursors from the late 1940s to 1960—presented itself to those in the Soviet bloc and globally. The article relies on content analysis of three magazines—Amerika, a Russian-language monthly published for Soviet audiences from 1945 to 1952; Free World, a magazine sent to East Asia that began publishing in English and various Asian languages in 1952; and America Illustrated, a Russian-language monthly published for three-and-a-half decades beginning in 1956—as well as of many pamphlets and other printed material intended for overseas audiences.

This article examines how U.S. Cold War print propaganda shifted from an emphasis in the late 1940s on America's liberal democratic idealism to an emphasis by the mid-1950s on the country's high and rising living standards and shiny new system of "people's capitalism." The United States could claim to have beaten the Soviet Union at its own game, providing "classless abundance for all." These messages echoed those disseminated domestically, in which political leaders, business executives, journalists, and educators increasingly defined America's greatest virtues and identity in economic terms, emphasizing growth and prosperity. This article assesses how the United States-via the U.S. Information Agency and its precursors from the late 1940s to 1960-presented itself to those in the Soviet bloc and globally. The article relies on content analysis of three magazines-Amerika, a Russian-language monthly published for Soviet audiences from 1945 to 1952; Free World, a magazine sent to East Asia that began publishing in English and various Asian languages in 1952; and America Illustrated, a Russian-language monthly published for three-and-a-half decades beginning in 1956-as well as of many pamphlets and other printed material intended for overseas audiences. Adapted from the source document.

Despite nearly universal concern about America's rapidly rising national debt, the United States government was $12.5 trillion in debt by the spring of 2010. Yet, few people—including college and university students—understand why we are in debt, what the many effects and dangers could be, the difficult steps necessary to reduce our deficits and debt, and the critical importance of bipartisanship and compromise. Given that young people are the nation's future and knowledge is power, what better place to raise awareness and stimulate discussion than on college campuses?