Book Review: The War for Wealth by Gabor Steingart

I had the pleasure of reviewing Gabor Steingart's book The War for Wealth.  I must admit, I don't get the chance to read material of this kind on a regular basis so I took it as a special treat to be able to take out some me time with abandon.

As a first generation American I often think of globalization as a good thing.  As a child I visited the grand castles of France half the summer, the other half was spent with my family in Brazil.  A study in contrasts, I enjoyed aspects of both cultures but couldn't help thinking if just a little bit of that wealth could go to someone in a developing country, what a wonderful world that would be!  I also felt the same way when crossing the 59th street bridge from Queens into Manhattan, it was like entering another world with better clothes and flat hair and I wondered again, why couldn't they give up just a little.

 Greed is a major factor, why create jobs (and subsequently wealth) where there are laws that enforce seperate bathrooms, unions and the like.  It's much easier to go to a country that doesn't care what you do to the worker.

After reading Steingart's book, I realize that it's hard to play a game (if you want to call trade that) when there are no rules.  No government or body that is truly enforcing a level playing field or standard.  I totally agree that we, the consumers, are fueling this consenus that anything is ok as long as the price is cheap.  We continue to overlook the dangers even in light of the toxic toys, pet food and toothpaste debacles of the recent past.  Who cares who made it, where it was made or even if it will last, as long as it fits my need right now.

This is nothing new of course, we've been casting our ballot for cheap for quite some time now. The trend is becoming very problematic now because we've caught on that our collective quality of life is on the decline.  That decline coming when our main competitor for natural recources, China,  is ascending the economic ladder and gaining international acceptance.

 I don't necessarily oppose sharing the wealth with another country, especially one that I consider welcoming and honest. There's just too much posturing and strategic positioning not to mention that they control too much, I doubt they adhere to a system of checks and balances.

 The War for Wealth should be required reading for all tax payers.  Buy, read and share this book with everyone you know!

***I must also admit that this is my SECOND review on this book so bear with me, I hit submit and i was logged off and that was the end of that post, no draft no nothing!! The first post had page references and more details... :silent scream: