Real Change by Newt Gingrich

The former Speaker of the House despises bureaucracies. In his 2008 book, Real Change, Newt Gingrich explains why our federal government has failed us and how, if we follow his plan, things will get better.

As of the time of this book, President Obama had not been nominated so we'll have to see if any of Gingrich's words come true.

I thought this was going to be a Democrat-bash-fest but it wasn't. Gingrich goes after both Republicans and Democrats.

He hates red tape. He can't stand the way government has interfered with innovation.

I think it's safe to say he is out there for both sides to attack.

Gingrich spends the first two sections of the book detailing how both sides of the political field have gone wrong. Then he spells out how they should fix things.

First, Immigration - He does not what illegal immigrants in the country. He suggests forcing companies to comply with immigration laws. He wants English as the official language and border control (but I didn't see the how-to concerning the border.)

Second, Jobs - He wants to abolish the Capital Gains Tax and move to an optional Flat Tax.

Third, Social Security - He wants workers to set up private accounts.

Fourth, Judges - He believes federal judges have gotten too liberal. He wants a return of a Creator within our judiciary.

Fifth, Balanced Budget - The government balanced the budget when he was Speaker of the House, and he believes they can do it again. Cut taxes, "increase spending in key areas while reducing it in non-essential areas." and getting rid of pork barrel spending.

Sixth, NASA - He wants to get the space program out of NASA's hands and return them to research. He wants to see space exploration to be more open to private companies and to offer prizes for those who succeed.

And ideas on Health Care, Prisons, Energy, etc... fill the last few pages.

I like the idea of opening up to private companies and offering tax incentives for success. But I'm not sure he provides enough "how-to" do it; how are we to implement these ideas?

Will we see Newt Gingrich for President in 2012?