The New Birth of Freedom: Vision for America [Paperback]

Steve Forbes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1999

America today has the potential for the greatest economic boom and spiritual renewal in our history. Presidential candidate and publishing magnate Steve Forbes shows how we can once again brighten economic prospects for everyone, reform our corrupt political institutions, and restore the severely weakened moral foundations of our country.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Two-time presidential candidate Steve Forbes lays out his political vision in A New Birth of Freedom. Readers won't become very familiar with Forbes the man, but they will definitely get to know what Forbes thinks about the issues of the day. "Less government and more freedom" is the principle underlying most of his ideas, whether they involve the flat tax, health care, or Social Security. The book is detailed, but not overly so, and avoids becoming a mere laundry list of policy choices. Libertarians will be drawn to his economic ideas, and social conservatives will appreciate his chapter on "the moral basis of a free society." Forbes puts many of his best applause lines from speeches on these pages, but they will sound fresh and bold to those who haven't heard them before: "We can't tinker with this tax code monstrosity or try to reform it around the edges. The only thing we can do with this hideous beast is kill it, drive a stake through its heart, bury it, and hope that it never rises again to terrorize the American people." Forbes also takes a subtle swipe at Texas governor George W. Bush, his main competition for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000: "I come from a family of entrepreneurs and risk-takers--of tax-payers, not tax-raisers," he writes, hoping Republican primary voters will remember that his father, George Bush, broke his "no new taxes" pledge when he was president. If they do and pick Forbes, this book provides a good look at what to expect from the Forbes administration. --John J. Miller

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing; 1st. edition (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895263203
• ISBN-13: 978-0895263209
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,116,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steve Forbes is Forbes Media Chairman and CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes magazine, where his editorials appear as, "Fact and Comment." The company encompasses Forbes, ForbesLife, ForbesWoman and Forbes Asia magazines; the Web sites Forbes.com, Investopedia.com, RealClearPolitics.com, RealClearMarkets.com, RealClearSports.com, and Forbes.com Business & Finance Blog Network; and 10 international licensee editions. Forbes' publications together reach more than five million readers globally, and its Web sites reach nearly 40 million users each month.

A widely respected economic prognosticator, Mr. Forbes is the only writer to have been a four-time winner of the highly prestigious Crystal Owl Award, formerly given by U.S. Steel Corporation to the financial journalist whose economic forecasts for the coming year proved most accurate. In 1996 and 2000 he campaigned vigorously for the Republican nomination for the Presidency. His latest books are: How Capitalism Will Save Us (November 2009); and Power Ambition Glory: The Stunning Parallels between Great Leaders of the Ancient World and Today . . . and the Lessons You Can Learn (June 2009), both by Crown Business. He is also the author of Flat Tax Revolution: Using a Postcard to Abolish the IRS (2005), and A New Birth of Freedom (1999), a book of bold ideas for the new millennium.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We Need Steve Forbes' America, May 10, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New Birth of Freedom: Vision for America (Paperback)

Ronald Reagan restored to this nation a pride and integrity that has been failing at a catastrophic pace, with a lot of the credit going to the do little Clinton Administration. Our tax system must go, or Social Security system is on the brink of collapse and our Medicare and Medicaid policies are a joke.

Mr. Forbes nails almost everything in this book. From foreign policy to the morals of our youth, we are in need of total reform. We are on the wrong course and this book can act like the compass we need to guide us back.

The book does read a little like a political rally speech but Mr. Forbes speaks the truth. Read it as a handbook to a new America, the old America that we once new.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Steve Forbes Issues a Plausible Plan, January 12, 2000

By 

Dan Adler - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Birth of Freedom: Vision for America (Paperback)

Here, Mr. Forbes sets out his vision for what is wrong with America, and how to fix it. As someone who was ready to vote for George W. Bush, this book opened my eyes to the REAL candidate. I didn't read the entire book yet , but focused in stead on chapters about the Moral Crisis facing America today.

He holds nothing back, which is probably why the media and Washington-types can't stand him. For example, about taxes, he talks about the tax laws as if they are a mythic beast and he wants to slay a dragon. The best thing about this book is how he reminds me of Ronald Reagan. Mr. Forbes is like that. It's an idea that anyone can understand, and I think that "common touch" is exactly what we need in a leader. And, like the best Presidents we ever had, he's not an Insider, but someone who can take on special interests and the tax laws.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A man with a vision to lead America!, October 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Birth of Freedom: Vision for America (Paperback)

I did not read anything in this book that I could disagree with,(except maybe his views on the gold standard-- but I'm the one confused in that area). This is a well planned book on a vision of where America should be headed. Forbes covers important issues like health care, education, national defence, economics and yes, foreigh policy. He is obviously well versed in all theses areas from personal experiences and contacts world wide. Forbes articulates very well on all the issues making a convincing argument that would compete well in the political arena.

The news media should consider this man a real contender for the White House that can act as an agent for real change in America. Have a look. Read the book.