52 Books, Week 28: Winning The Future

Yes, that Newt Gingrich.

Why in the hell did you read this?: Now this is an interesting story. So, most people who deal with public policy will tell you that Newt Gingrich is probably one of the smartest people in the country (regarding his understanding of economic and political systems). I was at a conference in which he spoke, and got a chance to chop it up with him afterwords. I asked him a question (who knows what about), talked to someone on his staff, and I figured since I'm reading a book a week, and i'm interested in public policy, and i'm from georgia... why not.

Stolen Blurb: According to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, America currently faces five threats that could undermine, if not eliminate, the United States if immediate steps are not taken to correct them. The threats as he sees them are Islamic terrorists and rogue dictatorships armed with nuclear or biological weapons; the removal of God from American public life; a loss of patriotism and sense of America's history; a decline in economic supremacy because of poor science and math education; and the increasing budgetary burden of Social Security and Medicare.

Gingrich goes after the usual suspects in this one (bureacratic government, terrorists, "protecting america," etc.); but there are some interesting arguments (caps for some lawyer fees; health-care reform, the global competitiveness stuff). All in all, a distinct view of some of the most important policy issues of our time. Don't break your neck rushing to read this one. If you're interested, just check out his website.