Brandeis University professor and Clinton labor secretary, Robert Reich, examines the American social contract in light of corporate frauds, mass layoffs, impending war in Iraq, and fiscal policies that favor the rich and punish the poor. Reich argues that our astonishing economic growth after World War II grew out of a social contract: (a) anyone who wants a job should have one; (b) those who work should earn enough to lift themselves and their families out of poverty; and (c) all Americans should have access to an education. He maintains that this social contract has collapsed over decades of social Darwinism and must be restored. In his book, *Essentials or a Decent Working Society*, Reich insists that denial, escapism, and resignation are the main obstacles to rebuilding a decent working society.