Government Books - Page 6

FDR: The First Hundred Days (Critical Issue)

Anthony J. Badger

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Editorial Review:

The Hundred Days, Franklin Roosevelt’s first fifteen weeks in office, have become the stuff of legend, a mythic yardstick against which every subsequent American president has felt obliged to measure himself. The renowned historian Anthony J. Badger cuts through decades of politicized history to provide a succinct, balanced, and timely reminder that Roosevelt’s accomplishment was above all else an exercise in exceptional political craftsmanship.

 

Declaring that Americans had “nothing to fear but fear itself,” Roosevelt entered the White House in 1933 confronting 25 percent unemployment, bank closings, and a nationwide crisis in confidence.From March 9 to June 16, FDR sent Congress a record number of bills, all of which passed easily. From legalizing the sale of beer to providing mortgage relief to millions of Americans, Roosevelt launched the New Deal that conservatives have been working to roll back ever since. Badger emphasizes Roosevelt’s political gifts even as the president and his brain trust of advisers, guided by principles, largely felt their way toward solutions to the nation’s manifold problems. Reintroducing the contingency that marked those fateful days, Badger humanizes Roosevelt and suggests a far more useful yardstick for future presidents: the politics of the possible under the guidance of principle.

The Assault on Reason

Al Gore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 342 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Al Gore at his best 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The rationale and thesis behind Al Gore's book are well rounded and even better developed. It goes beyond just critizising the current administration but sheds light on the systemic problem Democracy has in our times and what needs to be done to get back to its original concept. This one is a MUST read!

Editorial Review:

A #1 New York Times bestseller: A visionary analysis of the degradation of our public sphere and its consequences for our democracy

Nobel Peace Prize winner, bestselling author, activist, and political icon, Al Gore has become one of the most respected and influential public intellectuals in America today. The Assault on Reason takes an unprecedented look at how faith in the power of reason—the idea that citizens can govern themselves through rational debate—is now under assault. The marketplace of ideas, once open to everyone through the printed word, has been corrupted by the politics of fear, secrecy, cronyism, and blind faith. By leading us to an understanding of what we can do to restore the rule of reason, Gore has written a farsighted and powerful manifesto for clear thinking.

Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

Edmund Morris

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 161 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Classic Biography and a Work of Art 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

What a tremendous biography, or actually one third of a biography, as this is the first of a projected three volumne work. It is hard to imagine someone having a career like this today, although to be fair to our own times, Teddy Roosevelt was a dynamo by the standards of his own era as well.

The books only covers Roosevelt's life up until he becomes president, but because of Roosevelt's statue, drive and intellect, and Morris' thorough research, expert analysis and superb writing, it is also a very exciting view into America in the second half of the 19th century. A total of 700 pages and at the end I could not wait to start the next volume, Theodore Rex (Modern Library Paperbacks)

Editorial Review:

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

This is Morris's highly acclaimed account of Theodore Roosevelt's life, encompassing the years from Roosevelt's birth to his service in the White House.

He was one of our most vibrant presidents; his image still haunts our past and our present. This fascinating and comprehensive biography of the extraordinary naturalist, adventurer, soldier, and politician, tells the improbable, but very real, story of a man determined to get what he wanted, an American who helped define our century and our very character.

SOLOMON'S KEY THE CODIS PROJECT: A CONSPIRACY THRILLER (Solomon's Key)

R, DOUGLAS WEBER

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

An ancient secret society. The Vatican. The lost tomb of Jesus--the King of Kings And an ancient scroll that unlocks the secret of the Goddess . CODIS-the FBI's Combined DNA Index System-has found a match. A link between the past and present. Between a royal bloodline and the world's foremost terrorist. On the anniversary of their downfall at the hands of the papacy, the Knights Templar vow revenge. The ultimate spies and the ultimate threat: Reunited lovers brought together by fate, Italian-born OSI agent Nick Rossi and beautiful Mossad agent, Josie Schulman, battle an al-Qaeda orchestrated wave of terrorist attacks directed against Rome, the Vatican, and the newly elected Pope. But the investigation means plunging into Rossi's own past and into the arms of Bast, the alluring stranger, who may be his downfall. The ultimate secret: Beneath the Dome of the Rock, in Solomon's Temple, an ancient scroll is found. It unlocks the Holy See's brutally suppressed truth concerning the divine feminine, Mary Magdalene's true identify and role-and the location of history's most important tomb. The ultimate deception: As world leaders converge on Rome for the Pope's funeral, Rossi and Josie race against time and follow a cryptic trail of symbols hidden within German Renaissance paintings: the keys to a mystery that points to a secret Masonic nexus of power, the secrets of the Widow's Son. What would you do for love? What would you do for honor and country? Two strong-willed women find themselves at opposing sides of a struggle for power. Josie a Mossad agent, who is battle weary and disillusioned, and the other-Bast a notorious al-Qaeda operative. But they share three things in common: they seek revenge for the murder of family members, and they both seek love and meaning in their lonesome existence. The third thing they share is the affection of the same man. The man is Nick Rossi intelligence operative stationed in Rome. Rossi seeks the advice of his uncle Professor Giovanni, a man versed in history and the schemes of secret societies. Together they must solve a riddle, clues left by a Masonic Nexus that has infiltrated the Vatican. Rossi knows that his uncle's and even the Pope's life depends upon his actions. And time is running out. Behind the veil of enigma lies the Eschatology Institute, a New Age pop culture Church, complete with Hollywood celebrity spokespersons, secret oaths, and dark agendas. Its leader is on a mad power trip and will kill anyone who stands in his way. And his sights are set on the Vatican.

The Republic (Everyman's Library (Cloth))

Plato

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 91 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Rhetoric 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Most people know this book by title, not by content. I must admit reading this book is not for the faint at heart. Rhetorics will be thrown in your face as if it is common language and some sense of historical background on the Greeks may help as well.

But this shouldn't hold you back from reading this classic piece, all 450 pages of it. It is not so much the result of all thinking, but the process of thinking itself which makes this a great book. Known as one of the greatest Greek philosiphers of all-time you can get a taste of his way of thinking and the time he was living in.

If you have any interest in history and philosophy you'll love this book.

The ultimate Socratic dialogue? 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

"The Republic" is Plato's classical utopia, and perhaps one of the most controversial political texts ever written. It's so absurd that some people deny that Plato really meant it! Strange Aristotle never noticed. And yet, those who believe that "The Republic" shouldn't be taken literally probably have a point. Plato himself didn't take "The Republic" absolutely literally either.

"The Republic" describes a hierarchical caste society ruled by a militarized, collectivist elite. The elite itself is divided into different segments, the highest echelon being that of the philosopher-kings, enlightened thinkers who contemplate the heavenly world of Platonic forms, and precisely for that reason are fit to rule society as well. Below the philosopher-kings stand the Guardians, essentially the military caste. Famously, both the philosophers and Guardians live under conditions of total communism. They own no private property, are reared together, and hence don't know their parents or siblings. Strictly speaking, there are philosopher-queens as well, and also female soldiers, since the elite has gender equality (a point that has puzzled modern feminists). Below the elite groups stand merchants, artisans and farmers, but no slaves. The castes are (almost) hereditary, eugenics are used to ensure the fitness of the elite groups, and the population are induced to believe in fantastic, religious myths. The myths are noble lies welding this strange society together. Did I leave something out? Oh, and the poets are banished from the city! In other words, the ideal society described in "The Republic" looks like a curious blend of Sparta, Egypt and India (at least the two former societies would have been known to Plato).

So where do we go from here? The most moderate interpretation is that although Plato did regard "The Republic" as the best society, he didn't really believe that such a society was possible. It was a deliberate utopia. This raises a lot of intriguing questions, such as how Plato imagined the best *possible* society to look like, or what function "The Republic" was supposed to have. The first question is to some extent answered in "The Laws" and the Seventh Epistle, where Plato advocates a mixed constitution. What the answer to the second question might be, I honestly don't know. Perhaps nobody does. A wild guess: the point of Plato's utopia was to explore certain ideas without hindrance, throw certain concepts into as sharp relief as possible, in other words, do exactly what modern utopian novels do, in contrast to political utopias meant to be taken seriously.

I think that Plato clearly saw both the dilemma of democracy, and the dilemmas of tyranny and oligarchy, what we would simply call "dictatorship". Plato saw his teacher Socrates being persecuted by the regime of the Thirty Tyrants, but he also saw him being executed by the demos. The twin dilemmas of both dictatorship and democracy were starkly visible in the life of Socrates. The perennial problem of democracy is: what happens if the people vote the wrong way? (In Athens, the problem was even more pronounced, since many positions were filled by lot!) The perennial problem of dictatorship: how do we stop a ruler from becoming a tyrant, if the people can't even vote? Plato's solution to the problem was to balance the demos and the elite by a mixed constitution. In "The Laws" he took Sparta and the Cretan city-states as his concrete models, but he might just as well have harkened back to the days of Solon, or made use of the systems in Carthage or Republican Rome.

Plato's concrete solutions aren't ours, of course. Even the Athenian democracy he criticized was a far cry from our modern conceptions of democracy. From our vantage point, a mixed constitution on a Spartan or Cretan model actually looks even worse than the Athenian system. Note also the irony that "The Laws" lack the "socialist" and "feminist" traits of the Platonic utopia. Also, there is slavery in Magnesia, the name given by Plato to his realistic Cretan city-state, while there doesn't seem to be any slaves in "The Republic". And yet, despite the obvious differences between Plato's time and ours, the dilemma is still with us! Modern democracies attempt to solve it by combining universal suffrage with a division of powers, by a federal structure, or by a strong constitution guaranteeing basic human rights, a constitution that cannot be changed, at least not by a simple majority. Our methods may be different from the Platonic ones, but we are still trying to solve the same dilemma as he experienced in the aftermath of the Peloponessian War.

It could further be argued that no clever constitutional solution is possible in the long run, if the citizens loose their sense of civic duty. And it further seems that civic duty is possible only in a relatively small state, without too large income or property differentials between the citizens. Indeed, even Plato's moderate city-state in "The Laws" insists on the citizens having roughly equal amounts of landed property, property that can be neither bought nor sold. Of course, our concept of citizenship is much broader than the Platonic one: women and even resident aliens are citizens, and there are no slaves. Yet, Plato's general point seems to be correct.

So far, I have only touched on those points in "The Republic" and "The Laws" that could be creatively developed without offending our modern sensibilities too much. But, of course, "The Republic" also deals with other issues, more disturbing ones to our liberal ears. Are people really born equal? Are there innate differences between individuals? Is it always permissible for the rulers to tell the truth? Do societies need myths and noble lies? Ironically, Plato also asked questions that should disturb some conservatives: Given that innate differences are individual rather than sex-related, does this mean that the sexes are equal? And what's so good about private property and foreign trade anyway?

Perhaps that's the main function played by "The Republic". It's a work of provocation, a work meant to shock us into boldly questioning our preconceptions, a work that's the very opposite of a noble lie. Pace Popper, "The Republic" might actually be Plato's most Socratic work!

[This isn't really a review of this particular edition, but a general comment on Plato's dialogue, and its relation to some other works, but placing it here felt like the most natural option.]

Editorial Review:

Presents a new translation of Plato's celebrated account of a political utopia, which remains one of the most compelling and influential works in the history of philosophy.

Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy

Joseph A. Schumpeter

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good Analysis, Bad Predictions 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

CS+D is one of the greatest books on political economy in the twentieth century. Schumpeter wrote this book when his generation was about to reach a fork in the road. What would the postwar world look like? Could Capitalism survive? Can Socialism work well enough to replace Capitalism? Was the dictatorial socialism of the USSR the wave of the future or could we have some form of democratic socialism? Schumpeter offered concise general answers to these questions. No, Capitalism cannot survive, and yes socialism can work.

In retrospect we can see that Schumpeter was wrong. However, there is no denying the greatness of this book. While Schumpeter's prediction of the demise of Capitalism was exaggerated, this is to some extent an understandable error. Schumpeter was right about how Capitalism would be attacked, but he overestimated the chances for the success of this attack. Capitalism did come under attack from the carping criticism of intellectuals. Many of those who you might expect to defend Capitalism remained silent. Yet capitalism survived anyway. Schumpeter's assertion that socialism can work is less defensible. Schumpeter also erred in predicting the obsolescence of the entrepreneurial function.

We can now use 20-20 hindsight to criticize Schumpeter for his general predictions. Or we could recognize that many of his individual supporting arguments are thought provoking, if not correct. Schumpeter had some good insights into democracy. His ideas on creative destruction and monopoly are important. Schumpeter does a good job discussing Marx too.

The important thing to remember while reading CS+D, is that you can learn much from it even though its major predictions failed the test of time. The issues explored in CS+D are vastly complex and involve elements that are hard to measure, let alone predict. One can be right on nine out of ten supporting arguments and still get the wrong answer in the end.

CS+D stands along side Hayek's The Road to Serfdom and Keynes' The General Theory as one of the most important and influential books of this mid Twentieth Century. Aside from its historical importance CS+D has many good insights. Schumpeter is worth reading despite the fact that his major predictions have failed. Read CS+D for its detailed analysis of economic and political systems, not for its general predictions regarding the postwar world.

Editorial Review:

In this classic and prescient book, Joseph A. Schumpeter introduced the world to the concept of "creative destruction," which forever altered how global economics is approached and perceived. Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand where the world economy is headed.

The Anti-Federalist Papers and the Constitutional Convention Debates (Mentor)

Ralph Ketcham

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Origin of our Bill of Rights 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

"The Anti-Federalist Papers" along with the "Federalist Papers" is an excellent way to really learn about how our Constitution came about. Pseudonyms like The Centinel, The Pennsylvania Farmer, John DeWitt, Cato, et.al. set forth the cons against why various provisions of our Constitution should be viewed with great suspicion, and they offered counter proposals to safeguard our freedoms from ultimate despotism. I haven't read all the papers as I am also studying the Federalist Papers along with this book; but I am finding that many of the warnings the Anti-Federalists expressed have either come true or have come a long way toward becoming true.

I surely recommend purchasing this book if you want to learn the truth behind the reasons for our Constitution being as it is, and if you want to finally understand this very important basis for our government.

Editorial Review:

The dissenting opinions of Patrick Henry and others who saw the Constitution as a threat to our hard-won rights and liberties.

Edited and introduced by Ralph Ketcham.

The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18th-Century Brain

George Lakoff

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In What’s the Matter with Kansas?, Thomas Frank pointed out that a great number of Americans actually vote against their own interests. In The Political Mind, George Lakoff explains why.

As it turns out, human beings are not the rational creatures we’ve so long imagined ourselves to be. Ideas, morals, and values do not exist somewhere outside the body, ready to be examined and put to use. Instead, they exist quite literally inside the brain—and they take physical shape there. For example, we form particular kinds of narratives in our minds just like we form specific muscle memories such as typing or dancing, and then we fit new information into those narratives. Getting that information out of one narrative type and into another—or building a whole new narrative altogether—can be as hard as learning to play the banjo. Changing your mind isn’t like changing your body—it’s the same thing.

But as long as progressive politicians and activists persist in believing that people use an objective system of reasoning to decide on their politics, the Democrats will continue to lose elections. They must wrest control of the terms of the debate from their opponents rather than accepting their frame and trying to argue within it.

This passionate, erudite, and groundbreaking book will appeal to readers of Steven Pinker and Thomas Frank. It is a fascinating read for anyone interested in how the mind works, how society works, and how they work together.

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

DOI & Constitution, No More No Less 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This little book which is compact enough to be carried in your back pants pocket has a terrific intro by the Cato Institute. Beyond that, it is just what it says it is - no more no less. For $5, an excellent value. Every American should read this & carry it with them, & the most patriotic among us, do. It may come as quite a surprise to many who do read it (sadly, most who pick up this book probably already have, & those who need to, won't) that there is nothing in it allowing the federal government to provide health care, welfare, social security or education, to wire tap, to arbitrarily take away our civil liberties (before, during, or after a "national emergency") or protect "family values." All are unconstitutional. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself & buy the book.

Essential to Have Around 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

At about 2/3 the height of a mass-market paperback book and a trim 58 pages, the only real disadvantage to this collection of America's most important documents is that, if you shelve it on your bookshelf, it may get lost. It is a tiny book, meaning that it's not bogged down by a ponderous introduction or tedious analyses. It contains just the Declaration and the Constitution themselves, as well as a concise and informative introduction. It's really the book to buy if you just want to have the Founding Fathers' documents plain and simple. And read it every few years, just to get a sense of what principles America was built on. These documents should always be the basis of any intelligent discussion about American politics.

Editorial Review:

A pocket edition of America's founding documents.

The Case Against the Fed

Murray N. Rothbard

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Bewildering Case Against the Fed 2 out of 5 stars.
9 of 22 people found this review helpful.

Recently I read a book by Ron Paul and in a review I questioned some of his criticisms of the Federal Reserve. It's not that I'm some kind of defender of the Federal Reserve it's just that his alternative (having Congress in charge of monetary policy) seemed horrifying. Some folks politely urged me to do some further research on the subject suggesting this book so I've done my due diligence and read it.

There is a reoccurring theme when I speak to or read material from self described Libertarians. Apparently the Federal Reserve is a very devious organization that illegally counterfeits money. Counterfeiting is one of the most repeated charges I've heard leveled against the Federal Reserve and it never really made sense to me so I looked up the words definition in the American Heritage Dictionary. Counterfeiting is defined as, "To make a copy of, usually with the intent to defraud; forge". Other definitions said basically the same thing. Is U.S. currency a fraud or forgery given the fact that it is printed with the permission of the Federal government? The accusation seems baseless and bizarre. Since this is one of the primary legs of Mr. Rothbard's argument it leads me to question his entire case.

The main crux of the author's argument, if I understand it correctly, is that the Federal Reserve was created by and for the protection of United States banks to allow them to reap profits above and beyond what would naturally be possible. By going off the gold standard and allowing the Federal Reserve to create money out of thin air, inflation is driven up. The author writes, "The gold standard no longer servers as any kind of check upon the Central Bank's expansion of its credit" but I'm not even sure how the gold standard operated as a speed bump. Is it because it's a finite resource?

Much of the rest of the book is nothing more than a history of how the central bank was initially pushed in the United States. The author lists all the players involved and I do mean ALL the players. Page after page lists name after name until I became dizzy. I guess it's all supposed to sound very conspiratorial but it grew tiresome. His point was that the central bank was created at the behest of wealthy bankers. Is this shocking? I'm not sure. Unless I'm mistaken it WAS created to protect the integrity of banks to ensure customer confidence. Considering the book is a mere 151 pages this lengthy section seemed to be completely superfluous filler. This was the section that dragged the book down to two stars for me.

So in the end the author suggests abolishing the Federal Reserve, liquidating its assets and going back on the gold standard. Somehow I feel as if I'm missing some salient point. Hard currency has become rather quaint in this day and age. Well over 90% of my purchases are done without physical cash ever changing hands. It seems that just about anyone can create money out of thin air by purchasing using credit. I will agree that many of the regulating agencies in our country are set up more to lock out competition than to regulate industry but there seems to be no lack of banks. If the authors point was that the FDIC causes banks to engage in risky behavior I'm not sure that that's true either. I really have to question whether the advocates of returning to the gold standard and abolishing the Federal Reserve actually understand the ramifications or if it just feels good to get rid of a powerful institution. Getting rid of institutions seems to be one of the great pleasures of Libertarians with the Federal Reserve joining the IRS and the public school systems as primary targets. Seems like a bad idea to me but what do I know.

Editorial Review:

The most powerful case against the American central bank ever written. This work begins with a mini-treatment of money and banking theory, and then plunges right in with the real history of the Federal Reserve System. Rothbard covers the struggle between competing elites and how they converged with the Fed.

Rothbard calls for the abolition of the central bank and a restoration of the gold standard. His popular treatment incorporates the best and most up-to-date scholarship on the Fed's origins and effects.