Book Review: In Search of Self-Governance by Scott Rasmussen

Reviewed by Carter Clews

No one has his finger more firmly planted on the American people’s pulse than public opinion pollster Scott Rasmussen. His popular Rasmussen Reports have taking polling to a new level of accuracy, prompting Washington Examiner columnist Michael Barone to observe, “the best place to look for polls that are spot on is RasmussenReports.com.”

And now, Rasmussen has penned an incisive new book on what Americans really believe – and where they want their country to go – that promises to be a dark-horse bestseller. Short (only 76 pages from cover to cover); fact-filled, yet delightfully philosophical; both revealing and predictive; In Search of Self-Governance promises to be the type of provocative and compelling tome for the decade to come that The Third Wave and The Tipping Point were in decades past. … Continue Reading

Book Review: Colossus by Niall Ferguson

By Justin Williams

When most Americans hear the word empire, they think of the Romans or the British. They do not think of their own nation, the United States. So it was no shock when Niall Ferguson published “Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire” in 2005, he received lots of criticism from both the left and the right. But to read this book, the reader must open his or her mind to big ideas that are truly outside of the box.

At first, Ferguson analyzes the expansion of the United States westward and shows the clear cases of imperialistic rhetoric during that time. Even though this period was one of the United State’s clearest periods of imperialism, it may be a surprise to some that the same people who fought Britain imperialism had imperialism in their own mind for the newly created nation of freedom fighters. … Continue Reading

Book Review: The Persecution of Sarah Palin by Matthew Continetti

Reviewed by David Bozeman

To paint Sarah Palin a victim contradicts what makes her such a polarizing figure.  Supporters love her as an outdoorsy political maverick who can field dress a moose and turn her opponents into werewolves at the mention of her name.  To said opposition, she is a low-rent beauty queen who snagged popularity and career advancement through looks and an annoying excess of charm.  Whichever scenario fits, she is nobody’s victim.

But she is, according to Matthew Continetti in The Persecution of Sarah Palin, a target. Since her debut on the national stage, a favorite (and easy) topic for conservative writers has been to examine why she inspires such raw, sharp hatred, but Persecution offers a fresh perspective that will rank high with what promises to be numerous modern entries in the Sarah chronicles.

Continetti, an associate editor of The Weekly Standard and a Columbia University graduate covers some familiar ground, particularly early on, but his ample supply of details paints a frightening graphic of political discourse in 2008-09.  He wisely notes that the McCain campaign, and, occasionally, even the governor herself, were partly to blame for her public flogging. … Continue Reading

Book Review: Economic Contractions by Charles K. Rowley and Nathanael Smith

By Justin Williams

In “Economic Contractions in the United States: A Failure of Government,” Charles K. Rowley and Nathanael Smith use their unique Public Choice lens to analyze the Great Depression and the current recession. Public Choice Economics, developed by James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock, is a revolutionary way for economists to look at government and its attempts at market intervention.

This very short but dense read will take the reader through all the ins and outs of the economy. Those readers who are intensely interested in the happenings of today, will find this book to be up to date and full of facts.

Rowley and Smith believe that the reason why the United States has only had mild recessions up until this point is due to the counterbalancing monetary and fiscal policies from the 1980’s to the 1990’s. For example, Ronald Reagan and Paul Volcker are very famous for reigning in inflation, while not decreasing spending. This was due to Reagan’s defense spending expansion and Volcker’s monetary contraction.

Rowley and Smith found that the United States is faced with the after effects of a perfect storm of expansionary monetary policy after 9/11 and an expansionary fiscal policy under George W. Bush and his many Congresses. … Continue Reading

Book Review: Standing in the Rain by Thomas J. Powell

By Justin Williams

Since the start of the current recession, there has been dozens of books published attempting to explain what happened while giving advice on what Americans can do to make it through the down turn. In “Standing in the Rain: Understanding, surviving, and thriving in the worst financial storm since the Great Depression,” Thomas J. Powell attempts to do both.

In the first part of the book, Powell takes a micro approach in explaining how individuals reacted to certain market conditions. For example, he explains why average Americans could not avoid seeing television shows along with colorful stories about people flipping houses and making boatloads of money.

And at the very end of the book, Powell even takes the time to give a state-by-state analysis of when the recovery could come and how each area was affected. This proves even further that any person who wants to see a micro/localized level of the financial crisis should buy this book. … Continue Reading

Book Review: The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Sixties by Jonathan Leaf

Book Review: The Best Laid Plans by Randal O’Toole

by Kip Fournier

In “The Best Laid Plans,” Randal O’Toole takes an in-depth look at central planning for urban areas. O’Toole will soon convince the reader, through his unique and detailed analysis, why the government has failed every time. Broken into seven parts, with each part discussing at length several topics from the US Forestry service who, prior to centralized planning, used to post a profit – yes, you read that correctly, a profit – to transportation planning along with the two of the most common myths that surround public transportation.  I’ll give you a hint:  It’s not underfunded and no, more people wouldn’t ride if more public transit were available.

O’Toole takes you through a very logical and fact based journey that challenges the effectiveness of government planning through the use of complex models.

For example, when there is not enough forest to post a profit, simply change the input and voila!  Not only does more forest miraculously appear, but it is ready to harvest and be shipped to the sawmill.  Roads congested, poof!  Let’s add one light rail, tell ourselves that a large percentage of people will prefer this method of transportation to the comfort and flexibility of the vehicle of their choice and call it a day.  Too much city traffic, bam!  Simply remove parking to incentivize people to walk or take public transportation to now empty shopping centers because there is no parking.  Problem solved.

Many today still believe that central planning is the only solution, but the data that he has meticulously assembled here paints a much different picture.  Time and time again he lays out how government planning is the problem. And soon after it becomes clear to the reader that the real solution is to let the market decide where we will cut trees, build roads, and live our lives.  Finishing with a set of simple reforms, he leads us down a path to discovery and optimism with real solutions.

Any reader who is interested in new practical solutions must set some time aside to read this book.  I assure you, it will be time well spent.

Rating: 4/5

Kip Fournier is a Liberty Features Book Reviewer and owns a policy analysis company with a focus on energy and healthcare related issues.

Book Review: End the Fed by Ron Paul

By Justin Williams

In 2008, Congressman Ron Paul stood up to the Republican establishment and ran for President. He inspired new young libertarians to join his campaign and get more involved with politics. Little did he know that a just over a year later, he would be the author of two bestselling books and the leader of a large well-funded movement called “Campaign for Liberty.”

In his latest book, titled “End the Fed,” Ron Paul zeros in on the Federal Reserve, an institution he has tried to put on the chopping block since he entered Congress. The timing of the book couldn’t be better. Ron Paul introduced H.R. 1207 (known as the “Audit the Fed” bill) earlier this year which has a record number of co-signers.

When first getting into this book, Paul takes the reader on a very different course then he or she might have expected. For example, he dedicates one chapter to his “Intellectual Influences.” As interesting as this is for anyone who is newly libertarian and/or took a similar path to it through Austrian Economics, like myself, it may distract from those who are more skeptical of his cause.

Once the second half of the book kicks off, the reader can tell that this is where Ron Paul really sinks his teeth in. He goes through the philosophical, constitutional, economic, and libertarian cases for ending the Fed. Showing that almost anyone who is not a socialist, communist, or fascist should support ending the Fed.

The economic case is strong and shows rightfully that “Where [the United States] do[es] have socialism is in money and credit and setting the interest rates.” This puts the argument in perspective for those who currently believe that Barack Obama is leading us towards socialism, as people will realize that the United States is already socialistic in one of the most vital industries.

The only part of this book that fell short was when Paul sent mixed signals on what a gold standard meant to him. At the beginning of the book, Paul states that Austrian Nobel Laureate F.A. Hayek wanted a bundle currency. Paul states that the currency could be anything, as long as it is not controlled by the government. However, Paul continues to reference gold as a currency standard throughout the book.

But the problem is that what most people consider to be the “gold standard” is simply government control over the currency with the ability to redeem for gold. This is not sufficient for a free money system and maybe Paul knows this as he defends the “wild cat banking” era. The message must be clear; any currency that is not centralized by government is a better currency.

Nonetheless, this is a great read and will certainly get the reader to think about money, which everyone deals with on a daily basis, in a different way.  And will bring you to the strong clearly justified conclusion that the Federal Reserve must be abolished, as it is just an institution to serve government growth and special interest.

Rating: 4/5

Justin Williams is the Senior Commentary Editor of ALG News Bureau and, as always, he accepts questions and comments at jwilliams@libertyfeatures.com

Book Review: “Exposing the Real Che Guevara: And the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him” by Humberto Fontova

By Justin Williams

In “Exposing the Real Che Guevara,” Humberto Fontova, who himself fled from Cuba with his family, sheds light on the “revolutionary” figure that the modern left idolizes. In each chapter, he takes common beliefs held by the left and debunks them not only with mainstream sources but using actual accounts from families who experienced it firsthand.

Fontova’s book may surprise the reader on the amount of obsession the left has and how much of an obsession the media had when Che was alive. Most people have seen the t-shirts that are donned by college students across the nation. But what many will be shocked to know is that the winner of the U.N. Global Humanitarian Award, Angelina Jolie, sports a tattoo of Che “though she won’t reveal where.”

And that just scratches the surface. There are plenty of books, necklaces, bikinis, and even a Steven Soderbergh movie glorifying the man whose mural is currently displayed on the building of the Cuban secret police.
So what may start as a curiosity about a popular t-shirt will lead the reader into a world filled with media obsession and innocent bloodshed. Fontova shows that not only was Che a mass executioner of Cubans, including women and children, but that he himself would oppose the intellectual following he receives.

In a shocking example of his “revolutionary” behavior, Che, a self-proclaimed “Marxist,” did not mind selling the blood of the sixty-six men who were executed at the going price of “fifty U.S. dollars per pint to the Republic of North Viet Nam.”

Overall, the book is very good and it is written in a way that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat the whole time. Fontova is both passionate and clear when discussing the horrific amount of mass murders that took place in his home country. But beware if the reader is apathetic or uneducated about Che, they will be a passionate protester against Che “and the useful idiots who idolize him” by the end of the book.

Rating: 4/5

Justin Williams is the Senior Commentary Editor of ALG News Bureau and, as always, he accepts questions and comments at jwilliams@libertyfeatures.com

LFS Book Reviews

Welcome to the new Liberty Features Book Reviews! Along with the great content we now offer, we have teamed up with NetRight Nation to now offer book reviews of both modern and classic authors. Some of these may be ones that you have heard of, while others may be gems that not many people have read. Just like with all of our content these reviews can be used free of charge so feel free to browse the content below.

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