While libertarians may not have much visibility in American politics, they do wield influence in policy, according to Hudson (political science, Providence College), who finds libertarian policy proposals to be illusory in a number of ways. First, they do not deliver what they promise and fail to anticipate unpleasant consequences, as he endeavors to show through discussion of libertarian proposals on economic deregulation and tax policy that have been enacted and analysis of the likely effects of proposals to privatize Social Security or establish "consumer-driven" health care. Second, because they mask the true libertarian goals, as in the case of Social Security personal investment accounts, a proposal that Hudson argues is a Trojan horse for Social Security abolition. He instead advocates for a communitarian vision of the United States. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)