About the Book

The Lost Art of Drawing the Line will appall and irritate -- and entertain -- readers every bit as much as Philip Howard's first book. Why is it that no one can fix the schools? Why do ordinary judgments fill doctors with fear? Why are seesaws disappearing from playgrounds? Why has a wave of selfish people overtaken America? In our effort to protect the individual against unfair decisions, we have created a society where no one's in charge of anything. Silly lawsuits strike fear in our hearts because judges don't think they have the authority to dismiss them. Inner-city schools are filthy and mired in a cycle of incompetence because no one has the authority to decide who's doing the job and who's not. When no one's in charge, we all lose our link to the common good. When principals lack authority over schools, of what use are the parents' views? When no one can judge right and wrong, why not be as selfish as you can be? Philip Howard traces our well-meaning effort to protect individuals through the twentieth century, with the unintended result that we have lost much of our individual freedom. Buttressed with scores of stories that make you want to collar the next self-centered jerk or hapless bureaucrat, The Lost Art of Drawing the Line demonstrates once again that Philip Howard is "trying to drive us all sane".

Product Details

Media: Hardcover Book, 272 pages

Language: English

Publisher: Random House

Edition: Unknown

ISBN-10: 0375504222

Publication Date: Unknown

ISBN-13: 9780375504228

Dimensions: 5.86 x 8.58 x 0.96 inches

Shipping Weight: 0.91 lbs

• Categories: Legal System General Law