In a time of rapid technological change and corporate strategies of offshoring, jobs are being lost in all sectors of the economy. Reports of lower unemployment mask the problem of lower labor force participation. The shrinking middle class and growing precariat has been exposed. Americans are no longer unaware of power of the elite. Other problems Americans face are a failing public education system, poor access to health care, and minority and gender inequity. At the heart of the crisis is a political economy increasingly controlled by the plutocracy, threatening democratic participation in the selection of elected officials. Through an examination of the economic, social, and political problems faced by the majority, the book offers long-term solutions.