Busted (Tax Dollars at Work), a quirky, nonpolitically correct novel about public policy, is centrist in nature, arguing for improved government programs rather than reducing or eliminating them. The novel discusses many current political topics and is relevant for those who enjoy social theory, social policy, or political philosophy discussions. A central tenant is that the public should regard government programs as experiments. Another is that it is reasonable for governments to periodically evaluate the results of the experiments to determine whether improvements are in order. A third is that research designs and statistics should guide the evaluations. The novel, a study of the Social Security Administration’s disability program, the nation’s largest, is intended to stimulate discussion about the elements people want to have in public offices. While Social Security management seems content to have the employees act like Sisyphus, condemned by the gods to push a bolder uphill forever, the main character, Tax Dollars, and his colleagues view reform as necessary. Proposals include public relations, unions, managers, Social Security’s administrative law judges, and equal employment opportunity concepts. Other topics include childhood disability, the agency’s use of so-called paralegals, many with only a minimal legal background, and the agency’s antiquated, barbaric approach to substance abuse. The last chapter suggests that reconsidering the definition of disability and the administrative law judge adjudication model is desirable. Identified options include alternative dispute resolution models, public-private partnerships, and management privatization.

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