Customer Reviews

Locke, Jefferson and the Justices: Foundations and Failures of the Us Government

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George Stephens' book is a very interesting and informative read, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I must disagree with two of his conclusions. First, I see little or no evidence that the United States has experienced a 100 year cycle of moving away from property rights and moving back to them. He uses this cycle hypothesis to show that we are starting a new century of returning to a more Lockean view of property rights, but his evidence is scant and even if true historically, does not necessarily have any bearing on the future.

Secondly, I disagree that this country is returning to a more Lockean view of property rights. Certainly, there have been some Supreme Court decisions that have recovered lost ground in this area, but if you look elsewhere, we are losing property rights quicker than ever. The perpetual growth of federal spending, the eventual nationalization of the health care industry, and the Patriot Act are just some of the many large scale examples of governmental takings that defy the conclusion that our property rights are being restored.

That being said, the book has many redeeming values. It gives a great perspective on how property rights have been diminished in America including key Supreme Court cases with excerpts from the opinions. It is also holds the reader's interest. I had no problem getting to the end of this book.

I would recommend this book to someone interested in the history of property rights in America, but I would take Mr. Stephens' conclusions with a grain of salt.

This book made me re-evaluate my long-held political feelings, and actually changed a few.