STOPPING THE THEFT W e are getting ripped off. I think by now I have made that clear. But there still is the ability to change. A book like this would not be complete without some set of suggestions of how to address the problems I have described. Indeed, that would not be fair. It is much easier to be a critic than to solve problems. I have not met anyone yet who is in favor of the types of theft I have described. But not in favor and a willingness to do something about the situation are often two separate courses of action. As I circulated drafts of this manuscript among colleagues I was frequently asked “but what about answers?.” What follows then is my perspective on what to do - on how to stop the theft. Change is required. Many changes. In our institutions. In our way of thinking. Perhaps in our way of life. “There will be justice in Athens only when the uninjured parties are as indignant as the injured parties.” Recall Judge Learned Hand’s remark that mental habits “indirectly determine our institutions” To ask for change I need to articulate goals. The goals are to be the foundation and frame of my building. To state them briefly: Economic Security. Every American has the right to a basic level of food, clothing, housing, education, health care, and child care. The free market is not the most efficient allocator of resources, thus the public debate must
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