Gravy Train

The Big Ripoff: How Big Business and Big Government Steal Your Money, by Timothy P. Carney (Wiley, 285 pp., $24.95)

THE relationship between business and government is one of the most misunderstood in all of politics. Many people reflexively assume that wealthy corporations conspire with Republicans to cut taxes and loosen regulations. The reality is far different, as close observers of politics know: Big businesses almost always prefer favors to free markets. Hence, big business eagerly works with both parties to ensure a steady stream of narrow tax breaks, subsidies, and countless other forms of corporate welfare. In The Big Ripoff, investigative reporter Timothy P. Carney neatly documents the countless ways big business has succeeded in plundering state and local governments, hurting consumers and taxpayers in the process.