For a New Liberty by Murray Rothbard

 (9/10) This book would have gotten a 10/10 had it not been written back in the late 1970s. Although most of the message and libertarian principles described in the book are timeless, he makes current event references that seem dated. For anyone that is discouraged by our terrible government, two-party system, and status quo politics, please read this book. Learn about libertarianism and imagine if this were the dominant mindset of the world.

Libertarianism is the only philosophy that promotes timeless, eternal principles such as individual liberty, limited/no government, peaceful foreign policy, and free market economy. These were the principles of the founding fathers of the United States, but we have butchered their message over time and the experiment has failed. When you allow one branch of government to interpret the power of another branch of government, they will always give themselves more and more power over time.

The United States was founded on the principles of libertarianism, but our country has grown into a welfare/warfare state. The government does not and cannot represent all of the individual citizens of the United States. The problem with a controlling government is that some group of people will always be alienated, coerced, or infringed upon. The government does not represent society at large. In fact, there is no such thing as society in general. Society cannot own property. Nothing can take place for the ‘good of society.’ The controlling persons in government use the word society and country as abstractions to make us believe they’re working for and represent all of us. But they don’t, because it’s impossible.

The biggest problem I personally have with government is taxes, because it affects me more than anything else. More than one-third of my paycheck goes into the government coffer never to be seen or heard from again, while our national debt soars past the $18 trillion mark. That one-third would do me a whole lot more good than it’s doing for a debt-ridden government. The whole idea of the income tax being pulled from your paycheck was an emergency measure started during WWII, but (like everything else) the government they turned this temporary fix into a permanent solution. Because there is no more effective way to steal your citizens hard-earned money than pulling it directly from their paycheck before they ever even see it. No other entity besides the government can tax by coercion and steal its citizens money for its own purposes.

Some people are ok with taxes, even want higher taxes, because they feel it’s the government’s obligation to control, regulate, and provide for its citizens. This is a mockery of the founding principles of this nation. I don’t want to be regulated, provided for, or controlled. I want to practice free will, make my own choices, and earn my own keep. When you are born into this world, you are entitled to nothing. You have no right to anything besides life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It doesn’t make sense to claim you have the right to an education, the right to a home, the right to healthcare, etc. Where do the entitlements end? Food? Water? Clothes? Television? Cell phone? No one and no creature in the history of life on this planet was entitled to any of these things. In its simplest form, this is government robbing from the rich to give to the poor. But that’s not truly how the current system works. Instead the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and everyone complains.

It’s time for everyone to see the truth for what it is. Take a look at the government of today; its ineffectiveness, inefficiencies, corruption, and take a stand. Don’t put up with it. Don’t vote for another Clinton or Bush to be president (seriously these are the choices?!). Don’t support the two-party monopoly in government. Don’t support political campaigns funded by private interest groups. The old system is broken. It truly is time for another American revolution.

 

The Revolution by Ron Paul

(8/10) Oh America, how far you have strayed from your founding principles… By now we should all know who Ron Paul is and the basic ideas for which he stands. In recent years he has run for the Republican nomination for president and has been beaten out by the likes of the pitiful John McCain and Mitt Romney. How sweet it would be if the United States had more than a measly two candidates to choose from every four years. Ron Paul runs as a Republican candidate, but the values of the present day Republican party are far different from his own. Ron Paul fights for the Constitution, liberty, individualism, limited government, and states’ rights. This book outlines his revolutionary view of government, the type of government the founding fathers actually had in mind. After reading this book, you’ll realize just how far the U.S. has wandered off course, and that it may just be time for a new revolution.

This book is short and straight to the point. Here is a taste of what to expect in this book.

False Choices in Politics – Democratic and Republican candidates have few, true differences in their core beliefs. Both modern-day parties are both in favor of a strong centralized government. This is not what the founders had in mind for America.

Foreign Policy – The U.S. has active troops in 130+ countries. We spend countless hundreds of billions of dollars fighting wars, giving aid, and trying to police the world. We can no longer afford to continue the status quo both monetarily and because it hurts our country’s security. Why do you think the terrorists hate us in the first place…?

Constitution – The U.S. has a very powerful centralized government. States’ rights are cut more with each passing decade. Over the years, Republicans have become Democrats and Democrats have become Socialists. The founders understood that the most effective government is that which rules the least. The more centralized a government becomes, the less it relates to its people and more problems arise.

Economic Freedom and Civil Liberty – How much faith do you have in our government and elected officials? Most people don’t trust them to act on behalf of voters or uphold the Constitution, let alone even follow through with promises they made during their campaigns. So why are we not outraged with how much power the executive branch has given itself over the past half century, especially in recent years. In regards to economic liberty, we allow the government far too much power to regulate free trade, both domestically and internationally. Free trade is the only trade that truly works, not free trade with 20,000 pages of codes and stipulations e.g. NAFTA.

Money – Why do we even have an income tax? This basic question is never asked. An income tax infringes on your personal property. Income tax has only existed in the U.S. since the early 1900s. Let’s cut government spending, entitlement programs, and do away with the income tax. Based on our founding principles, this is the way things should already be.