It's a trade off too though. Is it better to give Foxconn $3B to build a factory in Wisconsin or would it be better to back 3,000 small business ventures at $1M a piece? At the end of the day the profits for Foxconn will end up going back to China if Foxconn builds a factory in Wisconsin so at least part of that subsidy won't even stay in Wisconsin. And what happens a few years after they're in operation and they threaten to leave the state if you don't offer more goodies? This seems to be what Ashley Furniture already did. They demanded tax incentives to keep their plant in Wisconsin and after they got them proceeded to lay off employees and ask for more.

The problem is also that sometimes they invest too much into one sector and it grows to become a bubble. When the bubble bursts it's usually the little guys who got in late that suffer the most. They are the ones that have to sell all their assets at fire sale prices while the rich have the money to buy them. The rich should be spending more of the cash they accumulate instead of hoarding it.

I'll believe it when I see it. Remember when Ford was going to create jobs in the US and now they're going to create jobs in China? Or maybe Carrier agreeing to keep those employees on but now it turns out to be temporary? Big companies have been tripping over themselves to make big proclamations on how many jobs they're going to create but so far very few have actually materialized. It's all about making the President happy so you'll get something nice in return down the line.

I'm also a big fan of Mike Duncan's follow up series Revolutions.

My K-12 education was severely lacking in this department (with the exception of the American Revolution of course). The English, French, Haitian and South American revolutions were all very fascinating and hold knowledge that's very useful today.

Once you've listened to these and a few others you can watch history repeat itself!