The Self-Made Myth: And the Truth about How Government Helps Individuals and Businesses Succeed [Paperback]

“Powerful, compelling, and well researched . . . demolishes what may be the most destructive myth in America.” —David Korten, author of Agenda for a New Economy
 
The Self-Made Myth exposes the false claim that business success is the result of heroic individual effort with little or no outside help. Brian Miller and Mike Lapham not only bust the myth; they present profiles of business leaders who recognize the public investments and supports that made their success possible—including Warren Buffett, Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry’s, New Belgium Brewing CEO Kim Jordan, and others. The book also thoroughly demolishes the claims of supposedly self-made individuals such as Donald Trump and Ross Perot. How we view the creation of wealth and individual success is critical because it shapes our choices on taxes, regulation, public investments in schools and infrastructure, CEO pay, and more. It takes a village to raise a business—and it’s time to recognize that fact.Foreword by Bill Gates, Sr.
Foreword by Chuck Collins
Preface
Introduction: Public Policy and the Success Narrative
Chapter 1–The Self-Made Myth
Origins of the Self-Made Myth
Modern Myth and the Titans of Industry
Fueling an Anti-Government Narrative
Chapter 2–Busting the Myth
Making the Invisible Visible
Donald Trump: FHA Housing, Imminent Domain, and Bank Bailouts
H. Ross Perot, Sr.: Medicare, Medicaid, and the Right Connections
Box: Social Mobility and the Rags to Riches Story
Koch Brothers: Money, Power, and Public Subsidies
Summary: Cleaning the Slate
Chapter 3–The Built-Together Reality of Individual Success
Roots of the BuillsI