The Return of Thrift.

Addiction is the underlying theme in Phillip Longman's book The Return of Thrift. Longman begins with the now-classic story of alcoholics who qualified for Social Security disability and received their government checks in care of the local liquor store. However, the author avoids the familiar assault on government waste, fraud, and abuse. Rather, his central message is that popular "middle-class entitlements" are the true cause of our nation's fiscal crisis. He presents sobering evidence to document America's addiction to government subsidies. According to Longman, federal entitlement programs have created a culture of dependency that afflicts senior citizens, farmers, veterans, homeowners, and business executives alike. He acknowledges that breaking the addiction "won't be easier for most Americans than withdrawal from a powerful narcotic."

Throughout the book, Longman questions conventional wisdom that entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare are "earned rights." He exposes the "trust fund" myth by documenting that "the core of every social insurance plan is an unfunded liability." His analysis is compelling and his arguments persuasive. He makes it clear that our national entitlement binge can only be financed by mortgaging the future.

During my years in public office, I did my best to adhere to the following principle: You can trust the voters with the truth. Yet, too often voters do not hear the truth from their political leaders. As Democrats and Republicans jockey for political advantage, misinformation abounds about the deficit and its underlying causes. Longman's book offers voters a yardstick against which to measure the veracity of the political rhetoric emanating from Capitol Hill and the White House. Believe me, the pronouncements from the political establishment do not measure up.

Victimized by an entitlement mentality, neither voters nor political leaders have been willing to face the truth. Longman asks us to apply a new standard to the demands we place on government. For example, he correctly criticizes "goldbrick military pensions for thirty-nine year olds who've never seen combat." He properly chastises "middleclass and affluent families who figure out how to get Medicaid to pay for Grandma's nursing home needs." In essence, he forces us to look at our entitlement benefits with an objective eye. Do these policies make sense? Are these programs honestly financed? Are they based on need? Are they fair to future taxpayers?

Longman's book is a form of "tough love" in which he challenges each of us to face our own addiction and begin the process of recovery. He concludes by proposing a comprehensive affluence test designed to reduce government subsidies as income rises. In addition, he suggests a mandatory savings plan as a means of retirement planning and of restoring the value of thrift in our society. These are stern measures, but nothing less will save Americans from our self-destructive behavior. Are we ready to take the cure?