THE BURDEN OF BAD IDEAS How Modern Intellectuals Misshape Our Society

Do-gooders are destroying America, according to Heather Mac Donald. "If you want to know how well social policies are working, I learned, asked the poor when their advocates are not around." Public and private charities encourage vice, while the media applaud, according to Mac Donald. Thoroughly researched and ardently expressed, each essay turns on a light. Taken as a whole, however, the arguments left this listener not just saddened, but also bewildered. The room Mac Donald illuminates is empty. What do you do when a drug addict with AIDS is cheating on welfare? Take away her benefits? How good does that feel? Anna Fields has a rich, womanly voice. She brings every anecdote to life, careening from fiery indignation to icy sarcasm and back again. B.H.C. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/ JAN 02]