What is the most effective way for Washington to fight poverty? Do we really need to spend billions every year on defense? How would the original civil rights heroes view the struggles playing out today? Is it wise to answer past failure by repeating the same policies? Average Genius looks at the major political questions of the day from a decidedly apolitical viewpoint. Whether you take from it a new perspective on the battles playing out in state houses and congressional hearings or gain new information to bring to the voting booth, Average Genius wasn't written to push one party or one idea, but to lay out a vision of government and the citizen's role in it. In addition, Average Genius looks to the resources and efforts that have worked in the past, the values that drive effective solutions, and who needs the power to solve today's problems and deal with those on the horizon. In essence, it's a book about you.
I finally got a little time to read this last week. It's a quick read, and is very to the point on why we are where we are, and why humanity requires a movement in another direction. In 1850 Frederick Bastiat wrote a similarly short treatise (The Law) in response to the Socialists in France and their rather flawed understanding of the role of the law in the lives of men.
Average Genius serves as a similar response to the modern Progressive dominance in all levels of Government, and offers a similar solution in a modern context: get Government out of the charity and morality business.