About the Author

Born in Los Angeles in 1952,GREG PALASTworked as a government consultant and an investigator for labor unions before turning to journalism full time. A self described "reporting investigator" as opposed to an investigative journalist, he became a writer in order to alert a wider public to abuses he saw committed by governments, corporations, politicians, and lobbyists. For years Palast wrote a column for theGuardiancalled "Inside Corporate America," and his articles have appeared in magazines and journals including theNation,Harper's, andIn These Times. Palast's 2002 bestsellerThe Best Democracy Money Can Buy, which covered in detail the fiasco of President Bush's victory in Florida in 2000, appeared in 2002 and served as the basis for his documentary filmBush Family Fortunes. His most recent book isBillionaires and Bandits- How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps, with illustrations by Ted Rall. Palast lives in New York City.

Twice the winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and a Pulitzer Prize finalist,TED RALLis a political cartoonist, opinion columnist, graphic novelist and occasional war correspondent whose work has appeared in hundreds of publications, including theNew York Times,Washington Post,Village Voice, andLos Angeles Times. He is the illustrator of the full-length comic inBillionaires & Ballot Bandits- How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps, written by Greg Palast.