A Fine Mess and The Healing of America, both by T. R. Reid

It's the season of amity, so perhaps it's fitting to review two books aimed at making our national dialogue over two vexacious political issues-taxes and healthcare-more knowledgeable and civil. T. R. Reid is a correspondent for The Washington Post; he's not a specialist in other topic but he is a smart layman who has done some interesting research. Healing was published in 2009; Mess was published last year. In both books looks at how other countries handle healthcare and taxes.

In Healing, Reid visits Canada, France, Germany, the U. K., Japan, and perhaps surprisingly but profitably Taiwan and Japan. He distinguishes between three basic models for national health care systems.