Free Lunch : How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and StickYou with the Bill)

Free Lunchanswers the great mystery of our time: How did our strong and growing economy give way to job uncertainty, debt, bankruptcy, and fear for millions of Americans? Acclaimed reporter David Cay Johnston reveals how government policies and spending have reached deep into the wallets of the many to benefit the top 1% of the wealthiest. He shows exactly who has been getting free lunches from the government—from $100 million to Warren Buffett, to $1.3 billion to the owners of the Yankees and Mets. But of course there’s really no such thing as a free lunch. The taxpayer always picks up the bill. With his in depth reporting, vivid stories, and sharp analysis, Johnston reveals the forces that shape our everyday economic lives—and shows us how we can finally make things better.

David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize- winning investigative reporter, recently retired from The New York Times. Over his forty-year career he has won many honors, including a George Polk Award, and has uncovered so many tax dodges that he was called the -ôde facto chief tax enforcement officer of the United States.-ö His two most recent books-ùFree Lunch and Perfectly Legal-ùwere both New York Times bestsellers.