Required Reading for the Reunion

As class president (I peaked early), a former English teacher (that didn’t last long) and web master, it is my prerogative to assign the books pictured here for each of us to read before our next get together. There will be a pop quiz, so please be prepared.
Bernard Goldberg’s book “100 People Who are Screwing Up America and Al Franken is #37" is a seminal read for anyone who thinks the country we grew up in was a better place than the country our grand children are inheriting. While many of us may disagree with some of the names on the list - Michael Moore is number 1, Ted Kennedy is number 3, Jimmy Carter is number 6 - there are also many people I’ve never heard of such as Jonathan Kozol, who at number 9 Goldberg says is responsible for our school system teaching children to hate America. If anyone has heard of Kozol or read his influential book “On Being a Teacher,” please be prepared to give a book report. You are guaranteed a failing grade if you are a Kozol supporter.
“The Fairtax Book” was written by a Georgia congressman and talk show host, Neal Boortz, to drum up support for a bill now before congress that will completely overhaul our tax system. No more income tax returns, no more IRS, no more tax accountants!! Sorry, Leo, but I know Carolyn can support you in the style to which you’ve become accustomed! The book makes a convincing case that getting rid of the corporate and personal income tax and replacing it with a national sales tax will be revenue neutral, price inflation neutral, and lead to a major economic upturn as corporations and individuals no longer have to make decisions on the basis of the tax consequences. An interesting feature of the plan is that every head of household would receive a “prebate” or monthly check from Uncle Sam to refund the tax paid on basic necessities up to the poverty level for the family size of the household. What a deal - we keep every penny we earn, don’t pay a tax if we don’t buy anything, and we get a check in the mail every month! Talk to your congressman and senators. The time is ripe for change, and I’m damned tired of doing my taxes after 50 years.
These books are listed as number one and number two on the New York Times list of best sellers at the end of August 2005.

Another current issue that is generating a lot of stomach churning is euthanasia. Many will recall the Terry Schiavo case where a court had ordered the death by starvation of a disabled woman in Clearwater. In that case last March, a judge sided with the woman's husband who wanted her feeding tube removed even though he had won a 1.5 million dollar medical malpractice settlement to keep her alive and give her rehablitation. Most of the money from the settlement was used to pay the legal fees that led to the court order to remove her feeding tube.
A somewhat similar case is going on now in South Carolina. In the South Carolina case, a woman is trying to get her husband's ventilator removed(which would lead to death) even though the husband and their children want him to stay alive. Read that story at http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46938