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(More customer reviews)Hank Nothhaft and David Kline knock it out of the park with "Great Again," a logical, practical and enjoyable description of what's wrong with America today, and the simple prescription for fixing it. If all business books were this well-written and informative, I'd be reading a lot less fiction. Once started, I could not put it down.
"Great Again" is an inspirational read: passionate, provocative, well-paced, and informative. Nothhaft makes it very clear that the answers are not difficult, and do not require trillions of dollars in government programs, stimulus, and bureaucracy. On the surface, America's economic woes may seem very complex, but "Great Again" cuts through the clutter, extracting gems easily understood by the casual reader. Yet the reader is likely to experience some frustration as well: today's political systems of lobbying and special interests will make real progress elusive - at least until we truly are in a crisis - at which point it may be too late. It is ironic that on one hand, the conscientious CEO wants to do the right thing for America by keeping manufacturing jobs here, even in the face of lucrative tax incentives and other benefits from China and other emerging economies. Meanwhile, politicians who refuse to address corporate tax rates are the same ones threatening to penalize businesses for moving jobs off-shore, while at the same time penning job killing legislation (like Sarbanes Oxley or the more recent Dodds-Frank consumer "protection" legislation). If we can't get a government that actually helps and encourages business growth and entrepreneurship (like China), we should at least get one that stays out of the way.
The use of anecdotes - like the author's childhood in steel town Sharon, PA., as the example of what the American dream used to mean, is effective. I found myself asking, "Yeah, how come my dad - also a blue collar manufacturing worker - was able to own and house and support my mom, my brother and me on one income?" And "Today, why does it take another few billion in borrowed money to fix a bridge?" Ditto for the extensive use of stories told in the words of experienced and successful entrepreneurs. By weaving the facts and figures into their stories and dialogue, there is no tedium - this makes for an entertaining read that will actually be read - this is not the kind of business book that goes straight from the bookstore to the bookshelf.
"Great Again" makes for a fascinating primer in the relationship between patents and jobs, as are the mechanics of the Patent Office. I had no idea the Patent Office is self-funded (and forgot it was established by the US Constitution!) My blood boils to learn that our insatiable Congress has withheld the income rightfully earned by the Patent Office - redirecting it to other federal programs. I'm a huge opponent of the "stimulus" plan, but having read "Great Again," I'd be an advocate to giving the Patent Office $1B - or more - of the yet un-squandered stimulus to increase the Patent Office's staffing of lawyers and engineers needed to break this million-patent log jam. THAT would be real stimulus.
"Great Again" fills a void that has been the missing element of "the lost decade" - leadership - the kind of leadership that realizes expanding the size of the pie through innovation and private investment provides greater prosperity for all. As heated debates about job creation and federal budgets in Washington DC rage, the message of "Great Again" is as timely as it is urgent. While the "flat-earthers" like Freidman are getting the ink, there is a frightening dearth of informed, instructive, and actionable content like this available. As clueless politicians begin to realize they've followed the Freidmans and Krugmans down a bottomless sinkhole, "Great Again" just may be the formula we need to prevent America from becoming a Banana Republic. Bravo!
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Great Again: Revitalizing America's Entrepreneurial LeadershipThe innovation engine that powered the U.S. economy to unmatched prosperity over the last century is now failing, threatening the way we work and live. As the nation spins its wheels--reeling from the job losses of the recession and seemingly unable to generate the breakthroughs needed to propel alternative energy, medicine, and other critical fields--Europe and especially Asia have begun to capture the leadership of crucial new technology sectors.How can America revitalize its innovation leadership and kick-start the economy again?In Great Again, veteran high-tech CEO Henry Nothhaft takes us inside the heart of America's innovation community to surface a new proposal for the job creation and economic growth we need.Bringing to life the human drama of the exhilarating, demanding and often frustrating startup environment, Nothhaft offers this complex world as the setting for a promising solution to the country's current standstill.Nothhaft, with journalist David Kline, says a breakthrough can be achieved through a series of practical and achievable tax, regulatory and other reforms that would help strengthen entrepreneurial startup businesses--and offer the necessary fuel for an American resurgence.They key is to bolster the segment and lessen the startup's struggle against a perfect storm of "red tape" burdens.In fact, this entrepreneurial ecosystem may be the only force in society that can create revolutionary innovations that would lead to new industries and millions of new jobs--generating prosperity again for all citizens.Great Again provides fresh research and original analysis to offer an entirely new lens for recovery.Filled with evocative stories and surprising evidence of the crucial role of the innovative force in society, the book presents an action plan that both entrepreneurs and policymakers can rally behind.
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