Analysis Of Pushed Off The Mountain, Sold Down The Western

Pushed Off the Mountain, Sold Down the River is a book written by Samuel Western. Western is a correspondent for The Economist, and has written for The Wall Street Journal, LIFE, Sports Illustrated, along with being published in many other news sources. Samuel Western is well-suited to write about Wyoming, although he was not born or raised here, because he has done a respectable amount of research, as well as being a published writer. He spends a significant amount of time looking at Wyoming’s economy, which he is qualified to do. He has also taught many classes at the University of Wyoming. Pushed Off the Mountain, Sold Down the River looks at many of Wyoming’s economic and political problems and how they came to be.
The main arguments …show more content…
Its greatest strength is the making the points clear, yet interesting to read. Western does a great job of giving a story before delving into the statistics. The arguments are listed in the beginning, explained more in depth in the middle, and looked at again at the end. The point of the younger generation leaving the state was interesting to read and it was explained very well. The idea that not many small businesses are created, and more companies like Walmart are being opened in the state, sucks away the hopes of opportunity and career choices (83) and it drives young people away. Western explains the situation concerning young men and women and Wyoming as:
From a young physician to a University of Wyoming football coach, most view Wyoming as a stepping-stone to somewhere else. To aggravate the situation, Wyoming way-of-life mythology fosters a system that favors not wealth creation, but wealth preservation. This attracts people who have made their money elsewhere and now seek a place to maintain it. (86)
This is one of the strongest arguments in the book, and many problems would be solved with a new generation of fresh, young