"
Truly a ‘love letter to our country.’ Anyone concerned about the rising gap between the ultra-wealthy and everyone else in America should read this book."
— Andy Stern, President Emeritus of Service Employees International Union
Purchase Our Fair Share from your local independent bookstore or order online here
Coming Soon!
America's economy does not currently
live up to our country's core values.
We are a nation founded on the ideals of coming together across differences to forge a common future. Yet over the past fifty years, our economy has been pulling us apart at unprecedented rates. By allowing top income earners and the wealthiest Americans to hoard wealth like almost never before, we believe what makes our country great. This is a threat to our well-being, our democracy, and our values.
Brian C. Johnson combines accessible scholarship on wealth and income inequality in America with deeply personal accounts of six Americans of diverse backgrounds who are each wrestling with what it means to survive and thrive in this new economic world. In so doing, he offers a solution that is as visionary as it is practical. Dubbed the Citizen Dividend, this revolutionary model assumes that economic growth is built off of the wealth we have created together as a country, and together we all reap its benefits. In Our Fair Share, Johnson lays the groundwork for implementing this solution, detailing what the Citizen Dividend is, offering examples of similar existing models, outlining the benefits of such systems, tackling some of the common concerns that arise, and offering a path toward making it a reality.
Ultimately, Our Fair Share calls on each of us to claim what is uniquely American, building a common future that embraces and celebrates our differences. This is our revolutionary inheritance. May we all benefit from it.
Praise for Our Fair Share
“
Our Fair Share is truly a ‘love letter to our country,’ as Johnson writes. Anyone concerned about the rising gap between the ultra-wealthy and everyone else in America should read this book. The stories are moving, the evidence is alarming, and the proposal for a Citizen Dividend is the type of ambitious solution we should be considering.
ANDY STERN
President Emeritus of SEIU and Author of Raising The Floor
“
Brian builds a logical, persuasive case for a citizen dividend. It’s an idea that could make our economy more accurately reflect all of our contributions. Read this book, share it with a friend, and be a part of getting this conversation started.
SHEILA SIMON
Former Lieutenant Governor, Illinois
“
Our Fair Share is a deeply moving book that illustrates and humanizes inequities ensconced within our economic system by weaving together hard economic data, historical trends, and the stories of working people. The Citizen Dividend is the transformational proposal our country needs to ensure every American has an opportunity to live the American Dream.
AMEYA PAWAR
Senior Fellow, Economic Security Project
“
As Brian Johnson eloquently argues, we are all co-inheritors of natural and social wealth, and entitled to dividends therefrom. This simple proposition, if acted upon, could financially improve the lives of millions of Americans, and help unite us as a society as never before. Read this book and join the growing movement for citizens’ dividends. It is an idea whose time has finally come.