I.O.U.S.A.: One Nation. Under Stress. In Debt. | 
 enlarge | Authors: Addison Wiggin, Kate Incontrera
Creator: David Walker
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $10.44
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Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 179
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 266
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9
ISBN: 0470222778
Dewey Decimal Number: 330.973
EAN: 9780470222775
ASIN: 0470222778
Publication Date: September 29, 2008
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Product Description
The United States has been spending its way deeper and deeper into the red, and saddling future generations with the mess—but who's paying attention?
To answer that question, the companion book to the critically acclaimed documentary I.O.U.S.A. talks with some of the most revered voices in the nation, including Warren Buffett; former Treasury Secretaries Paul O’Neill and Robert Rubin; Pete Peterson, CEO of The Blackstone Group; Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas); and bestselling Empire of Debt author Bill Bonner.
Armed with these interviews, historical references, and damning statistics, the book takes a lively and entertaining romp through the four deficits the nation faces: the budget deficit, the personal savings deficit, the trade deficit—and what former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, who resigned abruptly in 2008 over Congress’s lack of action, calls the “leadership deficit” in Washington.
Defiantly non-partisan, the empowering solutions outlined in these pages are a must-read for any American who wants to help change “business-as-usual” in Washington as a new administration heads towards the Oval Office. “We the People” can get our politicians to stop spending, promote responsible economic programs, and hand our children and grandchildren the secure future they deserve.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 Three Cheers for I.O.U.S.A. November 18, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The construction of the book meshes well with its organization and lends itself successfully to the study of our national deficit throughout our history. Packed with figures and facts related to the federal budget, the stock market, the GDP, Social Security, et al., I.O.U.S.A is a refreshing look at the state of affairs in our county, and moreover, how it relates to the rest of the world market.
A very good read for accountants and novices alike, I.O.U.S.A. will make you take a step back and analyze not only our country's spending, but our own personal spending habits as well.
Knowing is half the 10 billion dollar battle November 18, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
After seeing the film; this book was soon in my shopping cart. There too few books that do not preach, try to sway your vote, or lay blame on one particular person. It tells Americans what has happened to our economy, and what will continue happening if we don't do something about it. And yes, its scary. But guess what- so is the future at the spending rate we are going. Coming from a generation of indulgence and gross self- entitlement, the few bad reviews about this book are being typed on iPhones. This book (and film) is not for the cynic. It's for people like me that want to leave a mark in the world; just not one that cost 10 billion dollars.
 Marketing gimmick - insipid November 15, 2008
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is padded out junk.
It's a sell out - insipid and unimaginative.
 Misses the point. November 12, 2008
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
This film does a very good job at scaring people. Some of the figures and projections are bonechilling. However, it largely overstates the problem. We've handled deficits before. We ran an enormous deficit during the WW-II era (over 100% of GDP), so the current deficit (around 3% of GDP) is not a "fiscal cancer" as the IOUSA team would have you believe.
More importantly though, the film missed an opportunity to offer a real solution to the deficit problem -- health care. If our country's health care system were as efficient as the systems in other industrialized countries, and if programs like Medicare/Medicaid could take advantage of these lower costs, our deficit problem would virtually disappear. The Center for Economic and Policy Research has a nice graphic that demonstrates this well:
http://www.cepr.net/calculators/iousadeficit/calc_iousa_deficit.html
It's About Your Children's Future November 12, 2008
If you're concerned about your children's future and you want to understand how America's debt problem will affect their ability to live in a world of opportunity and prosperity, you must read I.O.U.S.A. immediately. Inside you will travel a straight forward and very readable journey through the four major deficits that are poised to bankrupt the United States and cripple your children's future. If you've ever been unclear on how the annual deficit relates to the federal debt, or how the personal savings deficit relates to the trade deficit, you will find clear answers backed by fascinating historical accounts and an array of interviews with the top economic thinkers of our time. While this is a companion book to the movie documentary, it is very much a stand alone work and a complete read in and of itself. Of particular importance to your children's future is what the book calls the leadership deficit in Washington. This section hits at the heart of why no one in government is doing anything about this and why the current culture in Washington perpetuates the debt problem into the future. All in all an admirable and entertaining work of what many would consider a dull topic. I highly recommend it.
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