Putting America's House in Order - by David M Abshire (Hardcover)

About the Book

Putting America's House In Order: The Nation as a Family is a call to action for the leaders of this generation to endow their heirs with the kinds of values, prospects, and prosperity that has sustained the American family, personally and nationally, for two hundred years. The authors' proposals are specific. They range from ways to reach a zero deficit budget to substituting a tax code that favors savings, investment, and growth. They also delineate the elements of leadership--local, state, and national--that are necessary to meet America's greatest challenge since the winning of the Cold War.

There is a feeling among the electorate that something is terribly wrong with America and its leadership. This perception defines one of those rare moments when sustained change is possible at the local, state, and national levels. But change demands bold action. Taking their cue from the courageous Strengthening of America Commission, chaired by Senators Sam Nunn and Pete Domenici, the authors lay down a comprehensive blueprint including: a 7-year write-down to a zero deficit budget; strict caps on the growth of non-Social Security entitlements; and the substitution of a tax code that favors savings, investment, and growth. The authors also call for a process of deregulation that develops innovative market approaches through careful and inclusive dialogue.

Abshire and Brower call for the experiments underway in our states and localities, to summon the creativity of the American business revolution. They put forth a cogent analysis of the leadership problem in our public life and the need for character, strategic direction, and vision. And ultimately, it is the idea of the American family, personally and nationally, to which the authors turn for the ideas that animate these changes and to define those who will be the enduring beneficiaries. In short, they urge a reemphasis on the ^Iunum^R in our national motto, ^Ie pluribus unum.^R

Book Synopsis

Putting America's House In Order: The Nation as a Family is a call to action for the leaders of this generation to endow their heirs with the kinds of values, prospects, and prosperity that has sustained the American family, personally and nationally, for two hundred years. The authors' proposals are specific. They range from ways to reach a zero deficit budget to substituting a tax code that favors savings, investment, and growth. They also delineate the elements of leadership--local, state, and national--that are necessary to meet America's greatest challenge since the winning of the Cold War.

There is a feeling among the electorate that something is terribly wrong with America and its leadership. This perception defines one of those rare moments when sustained change is possible at the local, state, and national levels. But change demands bold action. Taking their cue from the courageous Strengthening of America Commission, chaired by Senators Sam Nunn and Pete Domenici, the authors lay down a comprehensive blueprint including: a 7-year write-down to a zero deficit budget; strict caps on the growth of non-Social Security entitlements; and the substitution of a tax code that favors savings, investment, and growth. The authors also call for a process of deregulation that develops innovative market approaches through careful and inclusive dialogue.

Abshire and Brower call for the experiments underway in our states and localities, to summon the creativity of the American business revolution. They put forth a cogent analysis of the leadership problem in our public life and the need for character, strategic direction, and vision. And ultimately, it is the idea of the American family, personally and nationally, to which the authors turn for the ideas that animate these changes and to define those who will be the enduring beneficiaries. In short, they urge a reemphasis on the ^Iunum^R in our national motto, ^Ie pluribus unum.^R

From the Back Cover

There is a feeling among the electorate that something is terribly wrong with America and its leadership. This perception defines one of those rare moments when sustained change is possible at the local, state, and national levels. But change demands bold action. Taking their cue from the courageous Strengthening of America Commission, chaired by Senators Sam Nunn and Pete Domenici, the authors lay down a comprehensive blueprint including: a 7-year write-down to a zero deficit budget; strict caps on the growth of non-Social Security entitlements; and the substitution of a tax code that favors savings, investment, and growth. The authors also call for a process of deregulation that develops innovative market approaches through careful and inclusive dialogue. Abshire and Brower call for the experiments underway in our states and localities to summon the creativity of the American business revolution. They put forth a cogent analysis of the leadership problem in our public life and the need for character, strategic direction, and vision. And ultimately, it is the idea of the American family, personally and nationally, to which the authors turn for the ideas that animate these changes and to define those who will be the enduring beneficiaries. In short, they urge a reemphasis on the unum in our national motto, e pluribus unum.

Review Quotes

"A country's future depends on whether it sees its citizens as virtual strangers or potential neighbors. This book believes that the latter can make us whole again and tells us how to be better neighbors--across racial, ethnic, and social-economic lines. It provides needed household hints--this time for a nation."-Lynn Martin, former Secretary of Labor and Congresswoman

"David Abshire's and Brock Brower's uncommon insights, keen policy perscriptions, and common sense are an important guide for enlightened politics and effective government."-Kenneth M. Duberstein, former Chief of Staff to President Ronald Reagan and currently Chairman and CEO of The Duberstein Group

"For the sake of our future, I earnestly hope that this eloquent plea for the reconciliation of our national community will be read by as many Americans as possible. As a people, we desperately need to take action to implement the author's common sense solutions to the underlying structural problems of our society."-David L. Boren President, University of Oklahoma and former U.S. Senator

"Putting America's House in Order is a very important book. By setting the public policy debate in the larger context of character, values, and civil society, David Abshire and Brock Brower argue with passion and clarity that we will not be able to put our house in order until we strengthen the American family, revive faith in our institutions, and recognize the tragedy of the social problems confronting us."-Arianna Huffington, Senior Fellow Progress and Freedom Foundation

"Putting America's House in Order, as a title and a concept, pulls no punches in acknowledging the disarray of all our institutions and the current lack of leadership. But there is no flavor of apocalypse in their chronicling of shortcomings, and the reasonable hope for improvement makes the work a real handbook."-Hugh Downs, ABC's 20/20

"This book tells us the fascinating story of the Strengthening of America Commission and how it set in motion the movement to replace our burdensome tax system with one that finally and responsibly favors savings, investment, growth, and the American family."-U.S. Senator Alan K. Simpson

"This is a clear and compelling journey with a touch of history and wit through the American social and political wilderness. The road least taken--but the one that should be followed."-Hugh Sidey, Washington Contributing Editor Time Magazine

"What most deeply moves David Abshire and Brock Brower is the rising commitment of ordinary Americans to a bipartisan course of action to end deficit profligacy and keep our country headed round toward economic growth that will bring real prosperity for all American families."-Warren B. Rudman, Co-Chairman, Concord Coalition and former U.S. Senator

.,."well written and accessible to a general audience..."-Choice

?...well written and accessible to a general audience...?-Choice

?A clear, nonpartisan statement of the problems America faces on the eve of a new century, and practicable proposals for restoring the nation's fiscal and moral health. Former assistant secretary of state Abshire amd his journalist collaborator set the stage with the ramshackle state of the union--pandemic drug abuse, seemingly intractable federal deficits, homelessness, and violent crime, among others. The authors offer a thoroughgoing social agenda; its key features include school choice, an end to value-free curricula, incentives for the states to develop innovative health-care/welfare programs, and pointed reminders to the black middle class that it can't afford to let demagogues speak for inner-city residents. Abshire and Brower close with a we-are-family plea for community and a paean to accountable leadership from grassroots meeting halls to the Oval Office. A tough-minded platform for renewal of a superpower that has not in recent years been living up to its considerable potential.?-Kirkus Reviews

..."well written and accessible to a general audience..."-Choice

"A clear, nonpartisan statement of the problems America faces on the eve of a new century, and practicable proposals for restoring the nation's fiscal and moral health. Former assistant secretary of state Abshire amd his journalist collaborator set the stage with the ramshackle state of the union--pandemic drug abuse, seemingly intractable federal deficits, homelessness, and violent crime, among others. The authors offer a thoroughgoing social agenda; its key features include school choice, an end to value-free curricula, incentives for the states to develop innovative health-care/welfare programs, and pointed reminders to the black middle class that it can't afford to let demagogues speak for inner-city residents. Abshire and Brower close with a we-are-family plea for community and a paean to accountable leadership from grassroots meeting halls to the Oval Office. A tough-minded platform for renewal of a superpower that has not in recent years been living up to its considerable potential."-Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

DAVID ABSHIRE is President and founder of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., and in his long public career has served variously as Assistant Secretary of State, Chairman of the U.S. Board of International Broadcasting, and U.S. Ambassador to NATO. Abshire is the author of several books including The Atlantic Alliance Transformed (1992) and Preventing World War III (1989). Dr. Abshire resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

BROCK BROWER is a writer and journalist and has contributed to The New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, Esquire, Civilization, Life, and Harper's. His books include Other Loyalties: A Politics of Personality (1968), as well as two novels, and on television, he has written for 20/20 and 3-2-1 Contact. Mr. Brower, a graduate of Dartmouth College and Oxford University, is currently a resident of Hanover, New Hampshire.