Louis Kelso wants to make a capitalist out of every American. In THE CAPITALIST MANIFESTO, written more than 30 years ago with Mortimer Adler, he explained his populist interpretation of Adam Smith. The main idea is to spread America's wealth through Employee Stock Ownership Plans, commonly called ESOPs. In the 1970s, Congress endorsed his idea and Kelso's brainchild became law. Since then one company after another has tried a variation of Kelso's plan. Some plans have worked, some haven't. And the reasons vary. But by the end of the 1980's some 10 million workers belonged to ESOPs. A WORLD OF IDEAS with Bill Moyers aired in 1988 and 1990. The half-hour episodes featured scientists, writers, artists, philosophers, historians -- some well-known, many never before seen on television.
