Finally finished reading Kochland by @CLeonardNews. Took me 2 weeks to get through it but totally unputdownable. If I'd realised it was a 700 page tome before I picked it up, I might have shied away. Thank God I didn't.
1/n
1/n
For one thing, it's brilliantly written. There's an excellent balance between giving us details about the various characters' history and sticking to the main points. This is in contrast to Ron Chernow - a brilliant writer in his own right. 2/n
More importantly though, it has incredible detail about so many things that have happened both in in American politics as well as American business. From a far clearer explanation of what happened during the California electricity... 3/n
...deregulation (where Enron was a big culprit) to how the Obama administration's legislative agenda was road-blocked.
An amazing insight was that "buying" protesters is not just a third world thing. In fact, perhaps, it's a more refined art in the West. 4/n
An amazing insight was that "buying" protesters is not just a third world thing. In fact, perhaps, it's a more refined art in the West. 4/n
Another thing that's being driven home for me is the importance of all the rule making bodies in a country. We tend to focus on the central legislature, but the state legislatures, and the executive bodies can have such massive influence on... 5/n
...the fate of industries, regions and even the country. We need a far more evolved reporting infrastructure in India as well. How, we would pay for such a system would have to be worked out. But we must.
God knows we have our own versions of Koch Industries to worry about. fin.
God knows we have our own versions of Koch Industries to worry about. fin.
