Category Archives: public policy
The American Way of Eating
Tracie McMillan’s The American Way of Eating (2012) should be required reading for any American who eats regularly. One blurb describes it as “Nickled and Dimed meets Fast Food Nation”;that pretty much sums it up. The author picks garlic in … Continue reading
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Survival City
Tom Vanderbilt’s Survival City (2002) is more than just a trip back to the post-World War II era when — it’s good reading in preparation for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. It is the fascinating story of the nation’s preparation for … Continue reading
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The Big Roads
In The Big Roads, Earl Swift tells the history of the conception and creation of the Interstate Highway System. For those of us who have lived only in the age of super highways, it is an interesting and well-told … Continue reading
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The Man Who Saved New York
Seymour Lachman and Robert Polner’s The Man Who Saved New York (2010) tells the story of New York City’s near financial meltdown in 1975, and how newly-elected New York Governor (the “man” of the title) and his aides were able … Continue reading
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Tales from the Sausage Factory: Making Laws in New York State
In Tales from the Sausage Factory: Making Laws in New York State, Dan Feldman and Gerry Benjamin have written a thoughtful, interesting and insightful explanation of how New York’s legislature functioned in the 1980’s and 1990’s. It should be considered … Continue reading
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Married to the Mouse
In Married to the Mouse (2001), Richard Foglesong tells the fascinating story of Disney’s relationship with the local governments of central Florida. Not the city of Orlando, actually, but Orange and Osceola counties. And the Reedy Creek Improvement District, basically … Continue reading
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The Shadow Factory
I remember reading the front page New York Times story from December 2005 that the Bush Administration had authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to engage in domestic wiretapping to search for evidence of terrorist activity without the warrants federal … Continue reading
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Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America
Griftopia, Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibbi’s book-length rant against Wall Street’s greed can be quite entertaining and is occasionally enlightening. One of the book’s early chapters, entitled “The Biggest A**hole in the Universe,” provide the author’s (rather strong) views on … Continue reading
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The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires
Tim Wu’s “The Master Switch” is a great read at a number of different levels. At one level, it is an interesting history of the information and telecommunications industries in the United States — telephony, radio and television, film and … Continue reading
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