Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments; Part I. Problems of the Roller Coaster Economy; 1. Boom, Bust, and Misery: The Curse of Capitalism; 2. History of the Roller Coaster; 3. Bush, Boom, and Bust; Part II. Diagnosing the Roller Coaster; 4. The Income Gap; 5. The Consumption Gap; 6. The Housing Crisis; 7. Investment and Profit; 8. The Credit Balloon and the Financial Crisis; 9. Government Spending and Taxes; 10. The Trade Gap: How Boom and Bust Spread Around the Globe; Part III. Diagnosis and Cure of the Roller Coaster Economy; 11. How Violent Profit Swings Cause the Roller Coaster; 12. The Public Option for Health and Employment: How Democratization Can End the Busines Cycle; References; Index.