Customer Reviews

Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract With America

5 star:		(58)
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1 star:		(13)

 

 

This is a concise, pointed, and descriptive analysis of the election issues likely to dominate the next few national electoral cycles. More impressively, it's written by an Amazon junkie (check out his profile!) likely to be directly involved at the highest levels in exactly the campaigns to address those issues. While a few have written for publication as they campaigned (Churchill)it took forty years to publish Reagan, and only now is the development of his political philosophy getting broad attention.

If for no other reason, this is a must read for simple civic awareness, and knowledge for the informed voter. See also his prior book on health care, and try to find another candidate this far ahead in addressing these issues.

Gingrich for President? If the article I recently read is any indication, we may see those three words on a bumper sticker at some point in the next three years. I don't remember the source for the article, probably something dredged up by my local paper from the New York Times, but the report indicated that this former Speaker of the House and one of the few sources of illumination during the dark years of the Clinton regime may well toss his hat into the presidential race in 2008. He is eminently qualified to hold the highest office in the land if his record is any indication. Newt Gingrich's Contract with America proved highly popular with a majority of the voting public. His ability to temper some of the more extremist positions advocated by the evil hordes in the White House during the '90s also helped him gain name recognition and support. Certainly, his Washington network will assist him if he chooses to run for the White House. He's even extended a hand in recent months to former nemesis Hillary "Red Hilly" Clinton over the issue of health care reform. "Winning the Future" might well be his opening salvo in the future race.

Gingrich's 1994 Contract with America sought to apply a leash to an out of control Congress, discourage illegitimacy, balance the federal budget, crack down on crime, keep U.S. troops away from U.N. military commanders, end the welfare dole, and a bunch of other stuff you can find in an appendix at the end of this book. For the most part, Gingrich and his republican colleagues succeeded in fulfilling the contract. Now Newt is articulating a new Contract with America, a 21st Century contract if you will, that identifies a host of pressing new issues that he feels our country must deal with if it is to survive. Not surprisingly, the greatest theme in this document is Islamic terrorism and its threat to our way of life. Other points include reworking Social Security, restoring a belief in God as a central tenet in American life, immigration, and reforming education, health care, and the legal system. A heady agenda, to be sure, but one that Gingrich argues is absolutely essential to long term stability. Considering his past record in Congress, this affable southern historian may well succeed in accomplishing some of these goals if we decide to elect him a few years down the line.

Boy, where to start! Although the book runs less than 200 pages, the author covers a lot of ground. Let's start with terrorism, shall we? Gingrich essentially supports most of President Bush's actions in the war against Al-Qaeda. He goes further, however, by saying that we need to triple the size of our intelligence agencies to face down the threat, and we need to amp up the amount of defense spending at the same time. As for the sorry state of Social Security, the book again follows Bush's lead by endorsing privatization of at least part of the payroll tax. Gingrich endorses the Ryan-Sununu bill, a bill calling for private accounts that claims workers will amass some seven trillion dollars in assets by 2020 and will boast surpluses by 2030 that can help pay off the debt accumulated under the currently flawed system. The author supports a guest worker program for hispanic immigrants, argues that the president ought to unseat left-wing judicial activists using a technique implemented by Jefferson against Federalist court stacking, and contends that forcing the health care system to upgrade medical records and other information through computer technology will help reduce costs. Like I said, the book covers a lot of ground.

That last point, the importance of science and technological innovation, plays a huge role in many of Gingrich's initiatives. He's a very firm believer that America's greatness stems in large part from its ability to capitalize on the best technology has to offer. The author worries incessantly about the increasingly dismal state of public education in this country, claiming that declining standards in the hard sciences will cost America its edge in developing better medicines, better weapons to combat terrorism, and eventually lead to an undermining of the economy as China and India gain an advantage. He believes that dumping billions into promoting science and technology, through low or zero interest loans to those students planning on studying math and any of the hard sciences, will pay off in the long run. America needs to make it easier for foreign technology students--stymied by visa restrictions put in place as a result of the September 11 disasters--to enter this country, study, and stay as citizens. Gingrich should find a sympathetic audience with this argument in many corners. Other claims, however, don't pass muster.

I disagree strongly with his support for a guest worker program for illegal immigrants. Most American citizens regardless of race should. Illegals as they stand now, or as members of a workers' program, drive down wages for everyone else. Everything we hear about this issue revolves around the hoary old claim that "Americans don't want these jobs." Horse hockey. Americans don't want low wage jobs, and most of these jobs don't pay a decent wage because the companies can hire and exploit illegals. Cutting off the flow of cheap labor, or at least severely curtailing it, will lead to higher wages. If a company can't cut it without exploiting its labor force, it will go out of business. Other companies will then arise that can do the job cheaper with a better-paid and better-trained labor force. Besides, most of the people that hire illegals pay wages under the table in order to avoid paying taxes. How is that fair to anyone? This problem aside, Gingrich's book is largely relevant and intriguing enough to warrant a wide audience. Give it a shot.

This book was an interesting read. It gave a lot of information about different political issues of the day. It talks about how our government has failed to evolve with the times in the way it gathers, processes and disseminates information. He also explains how this flaw keeps our government from doing what's best for us the American public. As can be expected this book is written from a conservative view point, and many of the proposed solutions would never be accepted by those who are inclined to be more liberal or extremely conservative. This book will have something to offer those that are moderate to slightly conservative. Most of these proposals are rather ambitious and will most likely never come to fruition because it would require those in power to relinquish some of that power. Considering the current state of American politics I can't foresee that ever happening. This book gives some background and offers solutions. It is good for generating a political discussion and framing it around proposed solutions instead of the constant blame game that dominates the headlines and other books. While some of his solutions will require complete overhauls of many governmental programs it should spark thought about changing them instead of simply tweaking them, as has been our government's policy for quite some time now. I believe entering the arena of political ideas and sparking debate is truly what Mr. Gingrich intended with this book and I believe it will do that for everyone who reads it. It is a quick read but gave me plenty to read about and discuss with friends and relatives that are interested in politics. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in American Politics and how our government works and ask them to at least consider what he proposes and work from there.

Newt Gingrich has again greatly contributed to the political discourse that continues to grip the nation. In an era which can now be called `Red state versus Blue state', Gingrich writes a concise manifesto (that thankfully doesn't fall into an academic polemic) which tackles issues at the forefront of our nation today: terrorism (probably his most formidable section), health, Social Security, education, immigration, and the cultural values debate. As is Gingrich's style, it's hard to box him into one category labeled "conservative" or "liberal"; rather, it seems his political philosophy is expressed as "America first." His belief in open legal immigration, for example, might go against some people's expectations of him, but we see that in pushing for what he calls a "patriotic immigration", Gingrich wishes for an America that still welcomes all, but at the same time still teaches newly arrived peoples American values.
This book is not without controversy; the section on activist judges and the centrality of God in defining America are sure to ruffle more than a few feathers. Then again, the Newt Gingrich we know is not one to ever shy away from expressing honest opinions and beliefs, so his ability to speak politically without necessarily being political (diplomatic) is commendable.
Winning The Future is an extremely important blueprint for either the Republicans and/or Democrats. There's no reason to think that Gingrich's book is for Republicans only. For any party, for any politician, and for any citizen, the opportunities presented here to help steer - and change - the course of American civilization are bountiful. Let's hope in the near future at least some of Gingrich's ideas presented in this book are implemented for the benefit of the American people. There are too few politicians of Newt Gingrich's caliber to think and address important issues as expressed in Winning The Future. His leadership and ideas are needed more than ever.

Winning the Future, A 21st Century Contract with America is extremely readable. Anyone interested in the role of Government in shaping and influencing the nature of society should read this book. It lays out, by my count, at least eight essential areas (1) Defense - especially in terms of terrorism, intelligence, and related law enforcement actions, (2) Social Security reform, (3) Role of religion in public life, (4) Education, (5) Economic challenges, (6) Stewardship (perhaps others might call this section Compassionate Conservatism), (7) Reinventing government, and (8) Responsibility in the federal budget that, in Mr Gingrich's opinion, need to be either radically overhauled or addressed to ensure the United State's continuing growth as a nation. There are more than eight clauses in the "21st Century Contract" contract and more then eight chapters, but that seems to have been done to expand out overlapping issues such as legislative reform and election reform that both address the basic issue of Governmental reform or to elaborate on "Patriotic education" in one section and math/science education in the economic section. There are, regardless of how you dissect or recombine them, a wide venue of issues that are discussed. Reading through most of the reviews on Amazon.com, it seems as if most reviewers picked out one or two issues or themes that they either agreed or disagreed with, however, the book, while short, is quite broad in its recommendations and vision.
While written for the general public, there are some extremely serious and significant policy recommendations in this book. At times, I wished the book had a bit more academic rigor so that I could double check facts, figures, and arguments - but the end notes and the referenced web pages probably provide more supporting documentation than the average reader would want to dig through.
Sadly, I think mostly conservatives and libertarians will read this book due to Mr Gingrich's political reputation. That is a great tragedy because of the powerful insight Mr Gingrich has brought to bear on what he considers the key issues confronting the United States. The sections that deal with Health Care reform are brilliant and have much that individuals of any political ideology would agree with. Likewise, the chapter on "What You Can Do..." should be required reading for every civics class in the US. That particular chapter is an excellent guide for individuals who wish to make a difference in their communities and influence public policy regardless of political philosophy.

As has become the norm, Mr. Gingrich is one step ahead of his contemporaries. This book is not more of the same just reworded to make a buck or check a block, rather it is a very specific prescription for what ails the country. Gringrich covers nearly the whole spectrum and some of what he says will definitely surprise you! Who would have thought that in the Post 9/11 era, someone in the know would be an advocate for making the VISA process simplier. But Mr. Gingrich makes a reasoned arguement that has me convinced he is absolutely right. Who knows better than a historian, that those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it? Gingrich recalls the step of the past that we took as a nation that made us worldwide leaders of science and innovation, and what we need to do right now to maintain that preemminence.

Mr. Gingrich covers the war on terror, the role of religion in the public square, the economy, the national education system, the health care system, the legal system from top to bottom, social security, and even overhauling the federal government. And everything he mentions, he does with convincing knowledge and authority. If this book doesn't make you think long and hard, little else will!

I have read books by politicians who wanted to be president before, and I don't recall any that were as prescriptive as Newt has been in this book. It would surprise me if this in not his first salvo in the 2008 race for the presidency.

Newt Gingrich is, in the best meaning of the phrase, an archetypical neo-conservative. He loves his country, has a deep respect for law and order, admires the military, and truly believes that his country is a force for good in the world. In those respects, I agree with him whole-heartedly. This book is essentially Newt Gingrich's solutions for the most pressing issues facing our nation today: health-care, immigration, the staggering failure of our education system, and trade imbalances. Again, regarding the problems in our country, I must agree with the author.

Where Mr. Gingrich and I disagree, and most strongly conservative readers will probably feel the same, is in the solution to these issues. For every ill faced by our society, the author's inevitable answer is more government oversight and control. He typifies what many on the right have been saying for years: that neo-conservatives are essentially patriotic socialists. Whether the problem is the lack of patriotism in immigrants, incredibly out-of-touch judicial decisions, Social Security, or any number of things; his response is to call a committee, write some laws, and have more federal intervention. That the solution to the constant degradation and perversion of our society and culture, caused primarily by such government intervention, can be solved by more laws and committees seems to me an incredible flaw in the author's logic. Neo-conservatives, and practically all baby boomers not living in Manhatten or San Francisco, will agree with almost everything he says.

That being said, no one can dispute the author's obvious love of country, his true desire to compromise to move our country in a more positive direction, or his compassionate view of the less fortunate in our society. Don't let the more vitriolic 1-star reviews fool you into thinking that Newt Gingrich is some angry, bible-thumping fundamentalist. He's really not, and it frankly makes me question whether or not these reviewers even read the book. You can argue with his solutions if you wish, but you simply cannot impugn the intentions of this man. If there is a more genuine, good-spirited, honest person at this level of power in our country, I'd like to see them.

Basically, this is a great book to understand the fundamental beliefs of the neo-conservative movement in United States politics. Any student of government would be well served in reading it to understand how the majority of Republican politicians think. Unfortunately for those of us on the far right, who truly want limited government, strong defense, free trade, and closed borders, our voice in the wilderness has not yet appeared.

This book should be required reading for every high school senior and every college junior in the nation whether they agree with the author or not the seed needs to be planted. Most of his ideas will not be implemented in the next 8 year cycle but maybe the younger generation will take up the torch in 2016. If they don't this great nation will become just another third world socialist paradise that mother Russia never quite achieved.

It is still surprising to me to see the depths of hatred that people have about politicians. And this continues into simple things like book reviews. The conservatives are going to praise, the liberals are going to damn this book, largely I suspect without reading it.

As a retired politician, Newt Gingrich has become a prolific writer. In this book he says that there five threats that face America:

International terrorists, illegal narcotics dealers, and political tyrants working (more or less) together
The falling away of America from a religious base
Patriotic education and immigration based as it was in early American history
Updating out domestic institutions to harness modern science and technology to create jobs, wealth and a leadership position in the new century
Updating the Social Security system.

It's hard to argue with many of these. I put the first three of these issues together. Unfortunately terrorism seems to be religion based. Our society comes from a (somewhat) tolerant base and we seem to be facing a group that insists that their own religion is so superior that they should kill us -- Shades of the Crusades. As for jobs, in spite of what John Kerry said about restoring high-paying, unionized, heavy industry jobs in Ohio, those jobs aren't coming back -- it's a world economy. Social Security is not an insurance program, it's a welfare program taking from those currently working to pay those who are retired. As the Baby Boomers age, the present system isn't going to last. Newt proposes one way to fix it.

Regardless of the liberal/onservative bias of the reader, beginning to think about these issues makes a lot more sense than the rhetoric I heard during the election about Kerry in VietNam or Bush in the national guard.

This book is about challenges and solutions, spiced up with a great deal of intellectual liberal bashing. Agree with Gingrich or not, he has outlined solutions to many of the problems that plague our country. Social Security is bust, the evidence is overwhelming and the problem must be addressed. Rest assured seniors, there is a plan and you won?t lose out.

Gingrich is right on target with the need to improve scientific education and encourage scientists to increased discourse in their respective disciplines. We can not let the slide in the number of foreign students enrolling in American schools, particularly graduate programs, continue. We must give incentives, tax or otherwise, to companies and individuals working hard to develop new technologies. I agree wholeheartedly with Gingrich that the United States must retain its disappearing lead in worldwide technological development.

Gingrich?s ideas on health care are interesting and closely parallel his previous writing on the topic. His ideas about faith being a central aspect of citizenship may be a little much for many to bear. His constant references to the faith of the founding fathers are overplayed. His systematically overlooks the fact the founding fathers were greatly influenced by pagan classical civilization, instead harping on quotes that prove the founders? unshakeable faith.

Gingrich also writes three chapters entitled: Patriotic Immigration, Patriotic Education and Patriotic Stewardship. These chapters attempt to show how doses of good old fashioned America need to be fused back with society. Overall, these are probably the weakest elements of the book along with his fact dodging section on health care. They are unconvincing. Immigrants will learn about America if they choose to and we will, in turn , learn from them and melt them into our own society, again, if we choose too. Patriotic Education sounds to much like propaganda education or worse the Hitler Youth. Who chooses what we teach? Do we teach the good elements of men like Jefferson and avoid the bad? Are stories of Congressmen and Senators fighting on the chamber floor not worthy or un-patriotic? Not to mention the whole civil war thing. However, it is hard not to agree with Gingrich?s call to all American colleges to include American history in their curriculum. Educated citizens, historically grounded, are needed to propel the United States in the 21st century. Regarding Patriotic Stewardship, Gingrich writes: ??we have a long way to go to undo the culture of dependency, crime and deviancy that the welfare state has created and sustained.? Clearly, Gingrich never balks at the chance to bop liberals atop the head with his quill. To address this failing culture Gingrich proposes faith based initiatives in communities and prisons. If they work- why not? People only participate if they want too.

Gingrich?s most interesting ideas come concerning the war on terror. Gingrich sees war with radical Islam as defining the future for a very long time to come. One example, the day of a Pakistan controlled by radical Islamists armed with nuclear weapons is always just possibly minutes away. In short this whole section is scary, yet illuminating and is worth reading even if you are stridently opposed to neoconservative ideas. They cannot be ignored if they are scary or seem dangerous.

Throughout the work Gingrich is very hard on the elite media, the elite left, trial lawyers and just about ever other shade of liberal. His attack is vicious and the majority of it is on the mark. The left clearly has some work to do.

Overall, this book is worth the read. Discourse, self education and the free exchange of ideas is truly the best way towards Winning the Future, as Newt Gingrich decisively displays.
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