 | Occasionally a book will appear on the scene that embodies the written equivalent of jewels among feces. This book represents such an example. I found it both enlightening and infuriating at the same time. I only read it back in late 1999 because I received it at no charge as a bonus "best seller" for joining a book club.
The philosophy of the authors, Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin, amounts to a leftist, anti-capitalist, pro-environmentalist screed. They explain how the Protestant work ethic advocates joined forces with the captains of industry to dupe us all into devoting our lives to the dirty task of making money. They did this so we could load ourselves with products and services we do not need and cannot afford. Captains of industry profited from this arrangement. Since "idle hands are the devil's workshop," Protestant work ethic advocates did their part to promote it so as to keep us busy and out of trouble. The authors document how the growth of capitalism has damaged the environment, devastated communitarian spirit, and wrought a host of other social ills. This attitude permeates the entire book.
Objectivists understand the foibles of these arguments and their refutations and I will not repeat them here. I only want to note that despite these failings, this book does warrant a read for the simple reason of its clearly elucidated full cost accounting methods. These methods include carefully evaluating the cost of every new purchase in terms of continued upkeep as well as that so-called "job opportunity" that can actually leave you poorer after accounting for additional costs of fuel, wardrobe, etc. In conjunction with my article "Experiencing Objectivism through Quicken," this book can put the reader well on his way to a firm grasp of his cash flow and how to align it with his core values. Just bear in mind that the core values of an Objectivist will arise from a different philosophy than the core values of the authors!
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Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez
