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Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.Libertarians have a basic problem with government they don't believe it should exist except to provide a police force and a military. Nor do they appreciate the necessary role politicians perform in a democratic society. Instead, they retreat into the worst romanticisms of Thomas Jefferson. This first book by Twight reflects her specialty training outside political science and history, which includes a Ph.D. in economics, a law degree, and experience in programming computers. Like most libertarians, she espouses unrealistic ideals and ideas unrelated to pragmatic solutions to social and political issues. She fills this work with criticism of the expansion of federal authority during the past 70 years, never mind which political party governed. She also ignores lessons gathered over 2500 years of Western political philosophy, except to acknowledge that politicians may lie to cover up their misdeeds, which the author terms "transaction-cost-augmentation" i.e., they spend public money. September 11 makes most of this seem like abstract economic argument. Not recommended for general libraries; an optional purchase for large academic libraries. William D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ. in Shreveport
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Ms. Twight details how that happened with several examples including Social Security, federal income tax witholding, health care and education. The most frightening is her description of the rise of federal data collection. The bottom line is Big Brother is watching, he knows where you are and he can come get you anytime he wants because it's basically impossible for you to know all the laws much less abide by them.
Ms. Twight details how politicians and bureaucrats lie, cheat and steal to accomplish the ultimate goal of getting and holding power. She is more polite though and calls it political transaction cost manipulation.
I have only two complaints about the book. The first is that Ms. Twight fails to take into account the full force of government's fellow travelors in the media and special interest groups (ranging from labor unions to recipients of corporate welfare) and their impact on the growth of government. The second is that she doesn't do enough to put the evolution of America's government into a complete historical and philosophical context.
Nevertheless, this is a book well worth reading. If you were to read it in conjunction with "The Myth of the Robber Barons," "Bias" and "America's Thirty Years War" you would have a more complete picture of what is really going on.
But, whatever you do, read this book. It's worth the effort.
Twight explains that policy wonks, bureaucrats and legislators have been successful in altering the incidence of transaction costs related to government activity from government itself to the naysayers and adversaries of increased government at all levels, thereby making it difficult (if not impossible) for constitutionally-limited government to survive.
This book is both a serious academic work which should appeal to scholars and academics, as well as a political polemic designed for generally-sophisticated readers interested in the dynamics of public policy formation.
Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down . . . a real page turner!
Part of the "transaction costs" inherent to understanding why government controls so much of our lives now is due to the somewhat dry nature of the material -- but perhaps slugging through a few dry parts of this book and trying to connect to them is part of the price that Jefferson referred to as the "eternal vigilance" required for freedom.
My experience to date is that most people simply don't want to be free. Although the wouldn't say it explicitly, their behavior shows that they'd rather be treated like children and taken care of by the state.
If liberty matters to you; if you would prefer to be treated like an adult... read this book.
Just the first chapter is worth the cost of the book, and then some. If only it reaches "best seller" status! Read more
Charlotte Twight looks at how the power of the federal government has grown during the last 70 years using the... Read more
In depth detail of how the US federal government grew to its current size, while the original US constitution restricts federal government to a few key... Read more
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