Book Review — The Revolution: A Manifesto

This is a re-post of an old book review I did back on June 21st, 2008 entitled The First Empire to Cheat Death. No edits have been made from the original version found at https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R2LKO4O6D96A3C.

It is becoming evident to most people that America is on the brink of a disaster. FDR is portrayed as a legend in America schools, while in reality he has probably done more harm, both economically, politically and morally, to the country than any other president. The Fed is portrayed (especially in K12 government schools) as some great mechanism that helps stem off financial bubbles that it in fact helps cause (I know, I have been to classrooms in which the teacher says this while proclaiming that the free market inherently has bubbles and that Jackson was a horrible man for opposing a central bank). And the government is portrayed as saving everyone from themselves and from the horrible conditions that existed before government intervention (I can remember a pointed lecture about the benefits of and justifications for child labour legislation that I latter found to be utterly false).

Some may accuse Ron Paul of voting in opposition to the moral principles he espouses. Yet he explains why not all his votes are 'beneficial' to the working man. Many of the legislative acts would actually hurt the 'working man', but they are postured to help the 'working man' by well place politicians. Take the various farm subsidy bills floating around, many are pitched as 'helping' to 'the poor middle America farmer' who is usually not poor and does not need the subsidies, which in either case the subsidies actually go to the rich, well-connected farmers that those who might actually need it. There are many other issues - such as free trade agreements (i.e. NAFTA) which he might vote against, not because he dislikes free trade, but because this particular implementation of it is actually harmful to freedom because it is not true free trade - where he votes in this manner because the law in question does much more harm than good. Lastly, why bring into question a man's voting record when he is spreading the ideas which a later generation with more political momentum can change?

I only wish the major networks (CNN, Fox, MSNBC, etc.) would actually report the news correctly and hire news anchors and reporters who had some economic or political teaching. The more I watch the news, the more I am sickened daily by their outright lies and deceit. It is time to do something about this, and Ron Paul is a true representative. Let us hope we will soon discover more House members being elected who share his sentiments.

This is an amazing piece of work, happy to say I have already read some of his suggested reads, but will continue to read through the rest. I will surely borrow this book out to friends until it is worn, it is well worth the price of admission to be able to hopefully change at least one mind.

As Dr. Benjamin Carson recently said in a speech, "America can become the first empire to reach the brink of collapse, but by the strength of its institutions, stave off and finally reverse that collapse and return to prosperity." And to do that, we need to revert back to what the Founding Fathers envisioned, a free America.