WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 6, 2011 – Unemployment hovers near 10 percent. Economic growth limps along, threatening a double-dip recession. America’s children are falling further and further behind their peers in the rest of the developed world. Uncontrollable deficits imperil our government’s ability to function. Is this the forecast for America’s future?
In The Comeback: How Innovation Will Restore the American Dream (Beaufort Books, Jan. 6, 2011), first time author and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Gary Shapiro outlines how the federal government has lost its way in a devastating critique of Washington’s misguided policies, and provides readers with a blueprint to restore the American dream.
“What separates America from any other nation on the planet?” asks Shapiro. “Just this: We give our citizens the freedom to succeed and we reward those who see further or more creatively than anyone else. It’s what I call innovation, and it’s the key to our current troubles.”
As Shapiro explains, throughout its history America’s great innovators have been the real drivers of America’s unsurpassed economic success. Innovation creates jobs, markets, and new industries where none existed before. Most importantly, innovation moves the country forward, pushing Americans to succeed and strive for a better future.
By returning innovation to its rightful place at the center of America’s economic policy Shapiro shows that there is hope for America’s economic future, but it will require sacrifice and strategic thinking. In particular, some of the tough policy choices Shapiro says U.S. lawmakers must pursue include:
- Reforming our immigration laws to ensure that the world’s best and brightest come to America to follow their dreams.
- Opening American products to untapped markets around the world by passing present and future free-trade agreements.
- Investing and developing a national broadband network that currently lags behind the rest of the developed world.
- Protecting U.S. companies under threat from foreign legal challenges.
- Drastically cutting government spending and restoring sanity to America’s fiscal policy.
As President and CEO of the CEA, Shapiro has spent 30 years at the forefront of America’s innovative industry, witnessing firsthand the most exciting, groundbreaking innovations the world has ever known. His time in the Washington trenches, fighting for our nation’s innovators, has shown him that when America leads in innovation, America – and the world – moves forward.
Shapiro’s career has given him a unique insight into not only how innovation benefits the economy, but what innovation needs to prosper. Foregoing ideological rigidity, Shapiro’s plan relies on common-sense, fact-based solutions that will surely anger partisans of both political parties. But that’s the point.
“Democrats argue for more government spending and programs. Republicans argue for lower taxes,” writes Shapiro. “We are in a crisis, and it won’t be fixed simply by more government spending or by cutting taxes. Our best hope is for government to foster innovation by creating a fertile ground for innovation to flourish.”
The Comeback is a clarion call to the present generation that the America we know, that our parents and grandparents sacrificed for, is courting disaster. It’s a disturbing analysis of the state and depth of America’s current decline, but from the economy’s collapse we have a chance to engineer a true American comeback that reasserts America’s hegemony in the world. It starts with innovation.
High Praise for The Comeback
“Informative, sobering, and at time frustrating, The Comeback is that rare breed of book that actually delivers on what it promises: A way forward.” – Steve Forbes, CEO, Forbes Inc.
“By working together in public/private partnerships, we all can deliver on the compelling vision Gary Shapiro details for innovation and economic growth based on creating the product people really want and value.” – Alan Mulally, CEO, Ford Motor Company
“Our nation is facing a major crossroad and we need a new strategy to excite our people. Throughout his career, Shapiro has always understood the role of innovation in business; he is right that we can only preserve the America Dream by doing what we do best – doing things better.” – Ivan Seidenberg, Chairman and CEO, Verizon Communications
“We cannot afford to allow our nation to fall further behind in the race to create innovation and save our American Dream. Gary Shapiro offers a gripping story that is a road map to American success.”
– Rep. Darrell Issa, Chairman, House Government Oversight and Reform Committee
“The Comeback is exactly the kind of forward-thinking economic strategy that America lacks right now. What Shapiro has done is deliver and honest, tough assessment of the nation’s precarious economic situation. You won’t agree with every solution he offers, but we ignore his advice to our peril.” -- Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform
About the Author
Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the U.S. trade association for more than 2,000 consumer electronics companies. CEA owns the International CES, the world’s largest annual technology trade show. Shapiro has led the technology industry through seismic shifts, including the transition from analog to digital television, and the move to wireless, personal computers and the Internet. He has received many awards including the Pinnacle Award, the exhibition industry’s highest award, and was recognized repeatedly as one of the 100 most influential people in Washington by Washington Life magazine. A graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, he is married to Dr. Susan Malinowski, and commutes each week between Virginia and Michigan.
About the Book
Release Date: January 6, 2011
Publisher: Beaufort Books
Price: $24.95 Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-8253-0562-7
