Preface: Ballast 1
1. Rise of the Shareholder Class 11
1. Trickle-Down Tax Plan 14
2. Changing Sentiments 16
3. Declining Infrastructure 18
4. Healthcare Cutbacks 20
5. Labor Loses Its Voice 22
6. The LBO Boom 24
7. Productivity Soars, Compensation Stagnates 26
8. Income Inequality 28
9. An Overwhelmed IRS 30
10. The Offshoring Explosion 32
11. Stock Market Participation 34
2. The World We Made 37
12. Productivity Revolution 40
13. Billions of People Work Their Way Out of Poverty 42
14. Health Is Wealth 44
15. A New World Order 46
16. Freedom of Movement 48
17. The Red Blood Cells of the Consumer Economy 50
18. The Digital Age 52
19. Accelerating Technological Advancement 54
20. U.S. Institutions = Genius Factories 56
21. Assisting Humanity 58
3. Idolatry of Innovators 61
22. Turning Away From Community Organizations 64
23. Water Safety in the Richest Country in the World 66
24. Privatized R&D = Privatized Progress 68
25. College Has Become the Entry Requirement to the Middle Class 70
26. The Gross Idolatry of Innovators … by Innovators 72
27. Power Games 74
28. The Entrenchment of Wealth 76
29. It's Never Been Easier to Be a Trillion-Dollar Company 78
30. The MDMA Dealer of Capitalism Is the Corporate Communications Exec 80
31. D.C. = HQ2 82
32. Perspective 84
4. Hunger Games 87
33. The Great Divergence 90
34. It's Wealthy at the Top 92
35. From Lopsided to Dystopian 94
36. Invasive Species 96
37. The Minimum Wage Is Decades Behind 98
38. What Are Our Priorities? 100
39. Financialization and Asset Inflation 102
40. Asset Inflation Comes Home 104
41. An Assault on America's Prosperity 106
42. Another Covid Crime 108
43. The U.S. Healthcare System Is Embarrassingly Inefficient 110
44. Waking Up From the American Dream 112
5. The Attention Economy 115
45. We're All Addicted to Our Phones 118
46. Digital Billboards 120
47. Decline of the News 122
48. Triggered 124
49. Liar, Liar 126
50. "Political" Censorship 128
51. Fake News 130
52. Media Fuels Misunderstanding About Crime 132
53. Relationship Status 134
6. House of Cards 137
54. Marriage Rates Are at Record Lows 140
55. Women Value Earning Potential in Male Partners 142
56. Men's Share of College Enrollment at Record Lows 144
57. Online Dating Apps Are More Inequitable Than Almost Anywhere on Earth 146
58. Political Divides Become Social Divides 148
59. Failure to Leave 150
60. Population Growth Is Slowing to Great Depression Levels 152
61. Created Equal 154
62. Mass Murder Is a Uniquely Male Crime 156
63. The Long-Term Erosion of Trust in the Federal Government 158
64. Old Money, Old Problems 160
65. Those Funding the Future Reflect the Past 162
7. Threats 165
66. The United States Retains the Title 168
67. The Dominance of the U.S. Dollar 170
68. China Has Replaced the U.S. as the Most Popular Trading Partner 172
69. The U.S. Gets Less for Its Military Dollar 174
70. Military Spending Doesn't Always Equate to Effectiveness 176
71. Chinese Leadership in Military Drones 178
72. Does Our Budget Allocation Align With Our Threats? 180
73. Erosion of the World's Most Important Brand 182
74. The U.S. Is No Longer the World's Laboratory 184
75. Clean Energy's Silk Road Runs Through China 186
76. The Spawning Ground for Capitalism's Apex Predators 188
8. The Bright Side of Instability 191
77. Crises Trigger Growth 194
78. Resetting Expectations 196
79. Surging Startups 198
80. Immigrants Are the Original Entrepreneurs 200
81. Seeking Refuge 202
82. Getting Banked 204
9. Possible Futures 207
83. Printing Our Way to Prosperity 210
84. Drowning in Cash 212
85. Investment in the Social Safety Net 214
86. Smothered by the Safety Net 216
87. Metadystopia 218
88. Fast Future 220
89. Space Is Lonely Without Friends 222
10. What We Must Do 225
90. Simplify the Tax Code 228
91. Rebuild the Regulatory System 230
92. Restore the Algebra of Deterrence 232
93. Reform Section 230 234
94. Rethink the Land of the Free Incarcerated 236
95. Enact a One-Time Wealth Tax 238
96. Rebrand Nuclear 240
97. Support Children and Family Formation 242
98. Reform Higher Ed 244
99. Enable Other Pathways for Upward Mobility 246
100. Invest in National Service 248
Conclusion 250
Acknowledgments 254
Notes 256