Power to the People: An American State at Work

By Tommy G. Thompson

In a decade as governor of Wisconsin, Tommy Thompson has charted the course of a dynamic new Progressive Movement and renewed the relationship between people and government. Now in this book that will... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006017823X
• ISBN13: 9780060178239
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 1.09 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.5" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

Highly recommended for anyone interested in politics

In Power to the People, Wisconsin's longest serving governor describes his role in revamping the Wisconsin economy, reforming welfare, and implementing the nation's first school choice system in Milwaukee. Thompson, a Republican, served as Governor of Wisconsin from 1987 to 2001 and currently serves as Health and Human Services Secretary for the Bush administration.Thompson, a native of Elroy, Wisconsin (which has a population of about 1500 and is also the boyhood home of automotive and motorcycle enthusiast and writer Peter Egan) begins the book by quoting a piece of advice he often heard from his father, "You have two ears and one mouth. Use them in that proportion and you'll do just fine". Throughout the book, Thompson recounts how the common sense he learned growing up in a small midwestern town influenced his handling of three of his main accomplishments as governor: creating a business friendly climate which resulted in the creation of thousands of jobs, replacing welfare with a system that helps able body individuals to go back to work, and the implementation of the Milwaukee school choice program.Thompson's success as governor can be attributed to both his political skills and the fact that he has always been more of a problem solver than an ideologue. Every book written by a politician contains at least some self promotion and this one is no exception. But overall, it is an interesting and worthwhile read.