The economy of the United States has been in turmoil for longer than most can remember. It seems like everyone is talking about "The Great Recession" or a "jobless recovery," all the while pointing their fingers across the aisle, attempting to place blame on the other side. Is the increase in partisan politics the result of increased economy volatility or is it the other way around? What other factors contributed to our current situation and how do we fix a system that is obviously broken? Annette E. Meyer breaks the economy down to its basic elements and discusses trends and projections in four key areas: higher education, healthcare, government, and consumer prices. She presents a thorough analysis of every major factor in economics over the past decades and more, and she backs everything up with real numbers and a review of the opinions of top economists and political thinkers. This is more than a crash course in economics-it is a roadmap to help you understand an increasingly complicated world. About the Author Annette E. Meyer is a Professor Emeritus of Economics at the College of New Jersey. She is a former Adjunct Professor of Economics at the Hunter College of the City University of New York. She earned her doctoral degree in economics from The Graduate Center of The City University of New York. Her most recent books include An IOU: Domestic/External/International DEBT and BLITZKRIEG from Dorrance Publishing Co. and Value Added: 14 NATIONAL LABOR FORCES and Spatial Dimensions of Color from RoseDog Books.