by Robert J. Ringer
Ringer, the pipsqueak philosopher who wrote those catharsis manuals, Winning Through Intimidation and Looking Out for # 1, here tells what to do with American government: Get rid of it. Un-compassionate and ignorant of all social science, Ringer concedes the world is more complex than it used to be. But in urging that everyone be allowed to do what he or she wants, Ringer ignores the conflicts that laissez-faire can't resolve. Nor does he show any understanding of how governments evolve. He insists on putting "the poor" in quotation marks, as if there are no such people. And he lionizes John Singer, the Utah man killed by police this January while resisting arrest for keeping his children out of school (Singer was a racist, former Hitler Youth member and polygamist). Ringer's solutions? "Make an unwavering commitment to become fiercely independent and individualistic," is one commandment. "Never go out of your way to cooperate with the government" is another. All this would be laughable if such dopey books didn't trivialize the manifold crises in our system. Better that Ringer look out for himself and let Nos. 2 to 220 million take care of the grown-ups' problems. (QED/Harper & Row, $12,50)
Your Reaction
