????就算讀者能忽略這些陰謀論，作者的說法還掩蓋了不少系統性的問題：大學學費正在上漲（這才是學生及其家庭需要尋求高額貸款的最基本原因），可大學學位本身已不再是畢業后找到一份工作的保證。可是，盡管哈佛大學（Harvard）、西北大學（Northwestern）、歐柏林學院（Oberlin）或其他高等教育機構為學費的上漲出力不少，拉提根并未正面挑戰它們，只是堅稱這些機構應變得更加透明，向學生家庭提供清晰具體的賬單，讓后者知道交的到底是什么錢。他也沒有提及年輕人是否真需要上大學才能成功這一問題，而最近投資大亨彼得?泰爾等人對此多有探討。（不出意料，拉提根還對基礎教育作了批評——缺乏創新、教師平庸等等，值得一提的是，其中根本沒有涉及教師工會。）

????可是，該書最大的缺陷在于缺乏原創性的報道，這真是可惜，因為拉提干很喜歡向讀者吹噓自己當記者的能耐。（財政部長蒂姆?蓋特納不同意接受我的采訪……我能理解他的選擇——如果我是蓋特納，我也不會愿意回答我那些尖銳的問題！）拉提根批評大型媒體，稱其經常要照顧購買廣告位的政治或商業集團的利益，并暗示媒體上的信息并不總是可靠，因為許多學者和專家是企業資助的，這些批判合情合理。然后他繼續開始搜集能夠支持自己的說法的奇聞軼事、名人名言，還從《華盛頓郵報》（The Washington Post）、《華爾街日報》（The Wall Street Journal）、《紐約時報》（The New York Times）等大報乃至《制造業新聞》（Manufacturing News）和《稅務筆記》（Tax Notes）之類出版物上，歸納出許多事實來。

????可是，該書沒有多少全面的報道。舉例來說，作者關于教育的那一章充斥著對創新項目的描述，以及麻省理工學院科學家尼古拉斯?尼葛洛龐帝、沃倫?巴菲特之女、早教倡導者蘇茜?巴菲特等善心人士的言論。他盛贊可汗學院（Khan Academy）創始人薩爾曼?可汗，后者別具匠心的教育視頻廣為家長和部分學校所接受，被用作課堂學習的補充。可拉提根從未將我們帶到一個教室中去——我們看不到學生為什么有困難，以及如何與其作斗爭，更看不到他提倡的解決方案落到實處是何效果。他向我們講述使學習資源更容易獲得、學習進程更為高效的科技，卻不作展示，我們從未聽到一個學童或家長講述自己的經驗。相反，這個民粹主義者花了大把時間來跟象牙塔中人交流。

????綜上所述，這本書充滿了憤怒與激情，但完全缺乏內涵。我重申，這太遺憾了，因為拉提根本可以找出眾多個人故事來，闡述好銀行大盜和各種惡棍造成的問題，同時提出修復教育、醫療保健、銀行和其他破碎體系的方案。至于你是否該買拉提根這本書，本?富蘭克林曾經寫道：“省下一便士，等于賺得兩便士。”如果你需要別人解釋該表述才能明白，那或許拉提根的書正適合你。

????譯者：小宇

????Even if the reader puts aside this conspiracy theory, the author glosses over a few systemic problems: College tuitions are rising (which is why students and their families take out big loans in the first place) yet a college degree on its own is no longer a guarantee of employment post-graduation. But Ratigan doesn't take on Harvard or Northwestern or Oberlin or any of the institutions of higher education that are contributing to the rising cost of school, other than to insist they become more transparent and provide families with itemized bills showing what they are paying for. Nor does he address the question of whether young people really need to attend college to be successful, an issue that investor Peter Thiel has taken up recently, for example. (Notably absent from Ratigan's unsurprising critique of elementary education -- not enough innovation, mediocre teachers -- is any mention of teachers' unions.)

????But the book's biggest shortcoming is its lack of original reporting, a shame, since Ratigan likes to remind his readers of his journalistic bona fides. ("[Treasury Secretary Tim] Geithner wouldn't agree to do an interview with me ... I can understand his choice -- if I were Geithner, I wouldn't want to answer my tough questions either!") Ratigan, justifiably, criticizes big media for often being beholden to political and business interests that buy advertising, and implies that information in the press may not always be reliable because so many academics and experts are funded by corporations. But then he proceeds to grab anecdotes, quotes that support his assertions, and assorted facts from the likes of The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times -- even outlets Manufacturing News and Tax Notes.

????But there's very little in the way of shoe-leather reporting. His section on education, for example, is full of descriptions of innovative programs and quotes from well-meaning folks like MIT's Nicholas Negroponte and Susie Buffett, Warren Buffett's daughter and an advocate for early education. He praises Sal Khan of the Khan Academy, whose innovative teaching videos are widely embraced by parents and even some schools to supplement classroom learning. But he never takes us inside a classroom -- we don't see how and why students struggle, nor do we get a glimpse of his proposed solutions in action. He tells, but doesn't show, us techniques for making learning more accessible and effective. We never hear a child or parent talking about their experiences. Instead, this populist spends a lot of time talking to Ivory Tower types.

????The result is a book that is full of anger and passion, but utterly lacking in heart. Again, this is too bad, because there are many personal stories that Ratigan could have found to illustrate the problems caused by banksters and villains, but also to show how to fix classrooms, healthcare, banking and other broken systems. As for whether you should buy Ratigan's book, as Ben Franklin once wrote, "A penny saved is twopence dear." And if you need that expression explained, perhaps Ratigan's book is perfect for you.