This collection gathers ninety-one essays written by Mike Sharpe that appeared in Challenge: The Magazine of Economic Affairs from 1973 through 2011. They deal with virtually every aspect of the U.S. and international economies. The title reflects the fact that income and wealth inequalities in the U.S. have increased to disastrous levels not seen since the 1920s. The wealthy have recaptured the power to make the rules almost unilaterally.

The author also examines the decline of Europe and Russia, the problematic rise of China, and the enigmatic portent of the Arab Spring.

The book begins with the stagflation of the 1970s and ends with the bust of the 2000s, clinching the case, in the author's opinion, that America has been in decline for more than three decades. The tide can be reversed if and when we are ready to use fact-based economic policies.