The Comeback: How Innovation Will Restore the American Dream

As head of the Consumer Electronics Association, first time author Shapiro might be described as a high-tech lobbyist, but readers hoping to learn about the latest innovations in the tech world are in for a disappointment. This is a book about policy, not technology, from an unabashed proponent of the conservative agenda. Shapiro begins with a fascinating personal anecdote from July 2008. He was in Qingdao, China when his Chinese counterpart, circumventing the tedious translation process, used a thumbs up-thumbs down gesture and said, in English, "China going up...U.S. going down." After initial outrage, Shapiro has come to agree. His prescription for success includes tried-and-true Republican remedies like curtailing the power of government and lowering corporate taxes. He opposes unemployment payments extension, subsidies of state liabilities, and "every increase in public pensions, Medicare, Social Security, and prescription drug and health-care coverage." Not only does he advocate raising the age of Social Security eligibility, but also instituting a means test. While his reflections on the introduction of digital technology are interesting, for the rest: caveat emptor. (Feb.)