Introductory Remarks: David Frum, Columnist & Commentator, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Suppose you were told that for just two cents on the national dollar we could have a country where everyone had health insurance, full-time workers earned a living wage, poor children had great teachers in fixed-up schools, and politicians no longer had to grovel to wealthy donors? Suppose you also learned we’d largely be using “conservative” means (like tax subsidies and vouchers) to help reach these seemingly “liberal” goals – and that when we were done government would still be smaller than it was when Ronald Reagan was president? If you were like most people, you’d probably think that for two cents on the dollar this sounds like an intriguing deal. But two percent of America’s GDP is more than $200 billion a year in additional government spending — way beyond what politicians in Washington think is possible.

In his new book, columnist Matthew Miller challenges our country (and those who would lead it) to rethink our public responsibilities before the baby boomers’ retirement siphons all the money out of the system. The Two Percent Solution is intended to change the way all of us look at America’s possibilities. Praised by conservatives like David Frum and liberals like Paul Krugman, Miller’s book is sure to inspire a thoughtful debate on the role of American government in the coming decade.

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