Your Teacher Said What?!: Trying to Raise a Fifth Grade Capitalist in Obama's America

by Joe Kernen, Blake Kernen

Overview

Every morning on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Joe Kernen asks challenging questions. And at home he does the same with his young daughter, Blake. What are you learning in school? What TV shows do you like? What message did you get from that movie? Your teacher said what?!

 

 When Blake was nine, her answers told Joe that she had already absorbed a distorted view of economics—from her school, pop culture, and just about everywhere else. She was learning that capitalism is unavoidably immoral . . . that business people can’t be trusted, especially if they run big companies . . . that trade is bad because it hurts American workers . . . and that no matter how bad things get, the government will always bail us out.

Joe was outraged. If he couldn’t fix our education system or Hollywood, at least he could teach Blake how capitalism really works, and why it’s worth defending. Ultimately, Joe convinced Blake that capitalism isn’t about greed; it’s about freedom. In today’s America, there’s no greater lesson to teach your children.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101515198
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/12/2011
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	319 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Joe Kernen is the coanchor of CNBC’s longest-running program, the top-rated morning show Squawk Box. Before going into television he had a successful ten-year career as a stockbroker, and before that he earned a master’s degree in molecular biology from MIT and worked at one of the world’s leading cancer research centers. Blake Kernen is a sixth grade student. They live in New Jersey with Blake’s mom, Penelope, and her little brother, Scott.

Table of Contents

Preface: The Complaint Department ix

CHAPTER 1 January 2009: The Progressive Slot Machine 1

Chapter 2 February 2009: The ABCs of the Free Market 15

Chapter 3 May 2009: The Properties of Property 52

Chapter 4 October 2009: Who Made My Shoelaces? 71

Chapter 5 December 2009: Wall-E-conomics 83

Chapter 6 May 2010: America vs. Europe 103

Chapter 7 June 2010: 99.985 Percent Pure: The Price of Regulation 125

Chapter 8 August 2010: the $40 Ostrich Egg 145

Chapter 9 September 2010: Look for the Union Label: You're Paying for it 160

Chapter 10 December 2010: Lies, D***ed Lies, and the Opinion Pages 183

Epilogue: The View from 2011 213

Afterword 218

Acknowledgments 225

Notes 228

Index 233

Editorial Reviews

“Your Teacher Said What?! is an essential read for any parent who wants to counter the anticapitalism taught to their children and for all who believe in free markets and what makes America great.

Donald Trump

“This book will help renew your faith in free markets, restore the commonsense value of fiscal responsibility, and pass these principles on to future generations of Americans at a time when they are needed most.

Representative Paul Ryan

“CNBC broadcaster Joe Kernen and his young daughter Blake have put together a readable, informative, lively primer on free-market capitalism.

Steve Forbes