Misapplied and poorly managed entitlement programs have destroyed our cities and rendered affordable housing unsafe. For peace of mind and to escape the crime and decay caused by these programs many have fled to more expensive neighborhoods or into the suburbs where they assume rents or mortgages that strain the limits of their budgets. Such is the plight of the American Middle. We are hardworking, self-reliant and prepared to stand our ground-on our own two feet! We are not part of the extreme political left or right. We are simply straight up Americans, the backbone of this nation and the majority of the voting population. We still fly the flag and we know to cross our hearts when the National Anthem is played. We do not have time to ponder international affairs or other matters that don't affect our daily lives. It's all that we can do to keep up with the domestic problems that are constantly created by those in Washington D.C. The current tax system is a mess; it should not take the use of accountants and attorneys to pay Uncle Sam his due. Only our spending should be taxed, not our earnings and savings. The less we spend, the less we pay and only necessities such as groceries should be exempt. Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan sounds pretty good to most of us-it's simplistic and fair to all… …Governing America is a nightmare and more than any one person or body of 535 can understand let alone us. Therefore we try to send only the best to represent us. We depend on you to ensure that the taxes collected through our sweat and blood is used in a proper and judicious manner. Yet you spend it so liberally. In the most trying financial period in almost a century, it is the voice of everyday Americans-not elected officials, not corporate CEOs, not powerful lobbying groups-that can change the current system. For Andrew Miles and many citizens like him, the time to raise that voice for change is now. Tired of profligate spending, sick of watching handouts benefit the few while the many suffer, and angry over the gross mismanagement occurring in our government, Americans are making themselves heard in a way that hasn't been seen since the Vietnam War protests of the 1960's. And just like that era, the terrible effects of poor decision-making need to be laid bare and made clear. A grassroots examination of the societal effects from a criminal justice perspective that offers a street-level view of the problems created by an out-of-control government and an overwhelmingly liberal judiciary, Andrew Miles' analysis is a patriotic call to arms to reclaim our country's greatness and forego the free-and often counterproductive-ride too often offered in too many sectors. A police officer for the past seventeen years, his blunt, factual view is based on thousands of hours working on America's streets. Focusing on the human impact as well as the fiscal, Miles provides a new side of the debate concerning entitlement programs. With concern and compassion he explores the relationship between poverty and incarceration in the American criminal justice system, how it leads to imprisonment rather than rehabilitation, and the consequences and economic effect it has on the rest of the country. It is, in effect, a mirror of the bailouts of corporate giants, merely creating a system of handouts wherein the cycle repeats and the burden is placed squarely on those who form the backbone of America: the middle class. A healthy dose of reality and hope, Miles' no-nonsense polemic is a cold shock to an American system desperately in need of it. Covering a well-rounded series of topics that address the current state of the prison and government aid cycles thoroughly and thoughtfully, he takes his analysis to the crucial final step of providing possible solutions.
