What's Neoliberalism?

I've been listening to the Thom Hartmann Show on Air America for over 2 years now. I have been very impressed of his grasp on political, historical, and economic issues. I heard about Neoliberalism before I heard of Thom Hartmann, but I wasn't quite sure what it is. Thom normally leads off his radio show with a debate with a guest from a right-wing think tank, such as the Ayn Rand Institute, the CATO Institute, or the Heritage Foundation. Sometimes it is hard to listen to those right-wing pundents. After the debate, Thom with the help of some callers, review the arguments. I usually calm down after the flaws in the right-wing-nut's arguments are exposed. Check out Source Watch for more information on "think tanks".

I really wanted to hear more about these people and what is being done about them. When I heard about Naomi Klein's new book, The Shock Doctrine, I got my wish. Her book and the companion website is very interesting. She put all her citations on her website. She explains how the agents of Neoliberalism, lead by Milton Friedman, have used shocks to various nation's economic, political, and societal systems to force Neoliberal "reforms" onto an unsuspecting population.

Recently, I just finished my second book on the subject: A Brief History of Neoliberalism by David Harvey. This book deeply examined both the arguments for Neoliberalism and the inconsistencies inherent to the Neoliberal world view.