Investor Politics: New Force Transform American Business

I was pleasntly suprised by this volume from John Hood. I had not read anything by him previously, though I had heard him on the radio and was impressed by the good work of his John Locke Foundation here in N Carolina. I say suprised because the subtitle led me to believe that the book was primarily a study of the effect that a growing class of american investors is likely to have on future US policies. What I found instead was a history of the relationship between govetnment and investing from prehistoric times to the present.Fortunately Mr Hood doesn't get bogged down in some of the dead ends which such a history might entail if followed too rigorously, such as the common opposition to the charging of interest on loans throughout medieval Europe. He gets pretty quickly to US history where his strengths shine through.A fair chunk of Investor Politics studies the history (and future) of the Social Security Administration, and is honestly the most even and thorough discussion I've seen. His recommendations for policy reforms are carefully thought out and backed by numerous, well explained studies.My reasons for not giving a fifth star are that te book seems to bite a bit more than it can successfully chew, and its somewhat deceptive nature as I described above. But those things aside, the book is quite an exceptional balance between historical research, clear and simple explanations, and sensible policy prescriptions.