Críticas
excellent on the revenue side, laying out what a better tax system would look like, challenging perverse tax expenditures, and countering predictable objections about incentives, economic distortions, and fairness. ― Peter H. Schuck, Barron's
... clearly makes a major contribution to public political discourse regarding inequality and the role of government. ― Daniel Shaviro, National Tax Journal
This book focuses on Kleinbards value judgments concerning fiscal policy; specifically, it centers on his opinions about government taxation and spending policies. ― E. P. Hoffman, Western Michigan University, CHOICE
Americans feel the pain of an income tax system that raises twice as much as it actually does because of hidden spending through tax favors. This masterpiece on how we tax ourselves, and how Congress spends our money, explains why the mostly lightly taxed modern country feels so heavily burdened while offering workable solutions. ― David Cay Johnston, Book of the year 2014, News Week
Packed with powerful data, fresh insights, unassailable analysis, and a set of recommendations that are both economically and politically viable... [A] compelling critique of market triumphalism and the economist who helped to shape it. ― Washington Post
Kleinbard's viewpoint is both moral and farsighted...Kleinbard's ability to make the complexities of fiscal policy comprehensible permeates We Are Better Than This. So does his impatience, even anger, with the partisan sophistry that passes for much of fiscal and economic discussion in Washington... Kleinbard's book presents a challenge and a reproach to the America of recent decades; it's time the challenge was met. ― Los Angeles Times
Edward Kleinbard knows as much about taxation in America as anyone alive. ― Bloomberg Businessweek
Like Adam Smith, whom he cites throughout, Kleinbard is a moral philosopher. He sits astride society with tax tables and charts and thinks clearly, with great depth and insight, about what a better society would look like. ― Jared Bernstein's On the Economy Blog
This masterpiece of tax, fiscal, and economic policy is richly endowed with philosophical in- sights from Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments and holds the potential to change our often dogmatic and sometimes toxic public debate over how we tax ourselves and spend our tax dollars into a conversation about how to raise more money with less pain and spend in ways that will produce a happier America. ― Tax Notes
We Are Better Than This is firmly grounded in a sound understanding of politics, Congressional process and fiscal policy, but transcends 'wonkery' to focus on the ends we are trying to achieve as a society. While so many in Washington propound ideological agendas, Edward Kleinbard calls on our better angels to consider the kind of world we want for our communities, for our nation, and for our future generations. He then leads the reader through consideration of the best possible economic policies to get us there, regardless of ideology. Kleinbard recognizes that government and private sector have complementary strengths and weaknesses that can be managed to achieve the best American system. ― Senator Ron Wyden, Oregon, Chairman, Senate Finance Committee
The debate about the role of government is as old as the Republic itself. This is a debate we as a country should be having, and Kleinbard's book is a vigorous discussion of the issues involved. Kleinbard, a respected tax policy scholar and practitioner, is well-equipped for the task, and adds an eloquent voice to the discourse on these important issues. ― Robert E. Rubin, Co-Chairman, Council on Foreign Relations, and Former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury
Ed Kleinbard has been a superstar tax practitioner, policy advisor and now, scholar. This important book on America's fiscal future shares the lessons of his varied experience. Anyone who cares about the future of federal government spending and taxing will have to carefully consider Kleinbard's arguments. This is an important book because it rises above policy details to grapple with fundamental issues. ― Larry Summers, University Professor and President Emeritus, Harvard University and former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury
We are certainly better than this, but few people are better than Ed Kleinbard in explaining complicated, important topics in insightful and dare I say even entertaining ways. Ed has excelled in the corporate world, in government, and in academia -- and this book gives us all the benefit of his trenchant mind. If you believe in a brighter future for our country, read this book. ― Peter Orszag, Chairman, Public Sector and Financial Strategy and Solutions Groups, Citigroup, and Former Director, U.S. Office of Management and Budget and Congressional Budget Office
Edward Kleinbard, a University of Southern California law school professor and a prolific, witty, and effective polemicist whose new book, We Are Better than This: How Government Should Spend Our Money, is a must-read for anyone who wants to be educated about taxes and social policy. ― Allan Sloan, Fortune
Biografía del autor
Edward D. Kleinbard is a Professor of Law at the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law, and a Fellow at The Century Foundation. Prior to these appointments, Professor Kleinbard served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Congress's Joint Committee on Taxation, the nonpartisan tax resource to Congress.
