Tag Archives: democracy

Book review: How Democracies Die

Preface.  This is a book review with excerpts from the first half of “How Democracies Die” by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. A few main points: We tend to think of democracies dying at the hands of men with guns. … Continue reading

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Book review of “Democracy in Chains”, the history of how extremist Republicans stealthily stole our Democracy

Preface.  I can’t do justice to this book in a book review (so buy it), especially the history of how the right-wing libertarians came to be so powerful, their huge influence on congress, the judiciary, and laws enacted, and how … Continue reading

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The staggering level of corruption & kleptocracy in the world

Preface.  This is a book review of Frank Vogl’s 2021 book “The Enablers: How the West Supports Kleptocrats and Corruption – Endangering Our Democracy” (well, mostly kindle notes).  They couldn’t get away with it if there weren’t so many places … Continue reading

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Can democracy survive peak oil?

Preface.  This is a book review of Howard Bucknell’s Energy and the National Defense.  University of Kentucky Press. Bucknell was amazingly prescient as you’ll see in this review, especially about why democracy might not survive the energy crisis.  Though the … Continue reading

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Richard Heinberg: Energy and Authoritarianism

Preface. Heinberg wrote this a year ago. Brilliant and well structured, he conveys as much in this article as many books, and consolidates what must be many years of research. But Heinberg is not the only one to wonder if … Continue reading

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Why didn’t any white collar corporate criminals go to jail after the crash?

[ This is a book review with excerpts of “The Chickenshit club: Why the justice department fails to prosecute executives”.  Here is how the author Eisinger summarizes the problem and consequences: “Businesses now have privileges not seen since the Gilded … Continue reading

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Kurt Cobb: Can Democracy survive without Fossil Fuels?

June 29, 2005  Can Democracy Survive Without Fossil Fuels?  By Kurt Cobb http://resourceinsights.blogspot.com/2005/06/can-democracy-survive-without-fossil.html Is it an accident that the great modern revolutions, both American and French, occurred shortly after James Watt vastly increased the efficiency of the steam engine? Recall … Continue reading

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