I just got done reading P.J. O'Rourke's "Parliament of Whores." The book was first released in 1991, but O'Rourke's observations about the way government in America "works" is as spot-on today as it was back then.

Though many of the names have changed (and some, such as Bush, haven't), the "politics" remain the same. We still have farm bills every few years that should be taken behind a shed and destroyed with an ax. O'Rourke's observations on Social Security and the burden it poses for the kids and grandkids and great-grandkids of baby boomers are still trenchant.

It's been two decades and we still haven't learned squat.

If I was teaching high school civics, I'd use O'Rourke's book as the text. It's a heck of a lot more accurate, engaging and funnier than typical high school textbooks. It might even help get kids more involved -- and that might actually be a good thing.