For Sarah ~

Hightower

Ever since the deregulation of banks and utilities began in the 70-80's, the rich are getting richer. We need to come up with an election system that doesn't make candidates depend on corporate money; which is what sways the legislators and makes them obligated to them. Politicians have a hard enough time with issues, they don't need to work on 'buying votes'. We need to reform campaign financing. ( )

Typical Hightower: homespun, acerbic with a touch of southern hospitality, and relentlessly optimistic about the rest of the country (outside Washington), convinced that they by and large agree with him on most things. ( )

Jim Hightower is a true "prairie populist", a more idealistic and slightly more uneven version of Molly Ivins - and, as it turns out, they are longtime friends. This is an often revealing and surprising look at how polititicians and giant corporations (or at least their CEO's) have conspired to deprive us of our rights, choices and money, usually without our knowledge or consent. The first part of the book does a masterful job of describing the problems. Hightower, to his credit, does offer some grassroot solutions, but these often seem naive. Hightower is a little rougher and more uneven than Ivins, but they are plainly political soulmates. There is on page 139 a marvelous essay by a 12-year-old student for her school assignment, "What the American Flag Stands For", which led her teacher to call her unpatriotic. Actually, the essay is almost too good to be true, and I wonder if she really wrote it. ( )