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Political Class Dismissed: Essays Against Politics, Including "What's Wrong With Buffalo"

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_Political Class Dismissed_ is a collection of 50 hard-hitting essays on the disastrous consequences of government intervention by James Ostrowski, a libertarian attorney and vociferous critic of the "war on drugs." He ranges from local politics (in this case, a searing indictment of statism and judicial corruption in Buffalo) to foreign policy ("Will Iraq Have Democracy or Peace?" offers a way out of the current morass). A section on current and past luminaries highlights Bill Clinton's presidential library, FDR's demagogic inaugural address, Noam Chomsky's economic illiteracy, the contradictions of Michael Moore's worldview, Thoreau's libertarianism, and the high crimes perpetrated by the 16th American president that have been enshrined in the Lincoln Myth. Two closing essays review _The Black Book of Communism_ and provide an overview of how a government strictly limited to defending life, liberty, and property can best ensure peace and prosperity.
It ends with a bibliography of books helpful in understanding libertarian arguments.

At this juncture in the catastrophe that is Iraq, I'd like to give credit where it's due. James Ostrowski's readers ought to know that he was one of the first writers, if not the first, to stipulate the solution to blood-soaked Mesopotamia: radical decentralization. In other words, "Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis should each form their own separate republics."

Kind of like the republic Americans once enjoy before the federal government occupied the States, isn't it? Indeed, it's this "libertarian localism" that I find particularly appealing and laudable in James' work: his firm grasp of-and commitment to-the long-lost American virtues of radical decentralization and local autonomy. For when all is said and done, the real freedom lover doesn't sit on a lofty, holier-than-thou, intellectual perch. Rather, he gets down to the messy business of reclaiming his neighborhoods, as James does in "What's Wrong With Buffalo."

And as James has done (with verve and vim) throughout "Political Class Dismissed."

But even more than this volume's blistering attack on Leviathan, the thing I most appreciate about James Ostrowski is ... James Ostrowski himself. Here's why: "Essays Against Politics," the subtitle of this book, emphasizes not politics (the source of our bondage), but life, private life (the source of our renewal). James practices in life what he preaches in these "Essays Against Politics." He fights injustice as a litigator (and still finds time to write prolifically). He is a devoted family man, whose love and admiration for an inspirational father lights up his work. And he is unusual among libertarians (we are indeed a fractious bunch) for being intellectually honest-James gives credit where and when it's deserved, and in the face of intellectual disagreement and difference.

In addition to a sprinkle of wry humor, James exhibits throughout "Political Class Dismissed" an uncanny knack for distilling the issues: "freedom means doing what you will with what you own," he writes. To our overlords in government, such words are pearls before swine, but they'll resonate with freedom-loving Americans.

James's hero-Thomas Jefferson, the author of "the greatest secessionist document in history, The Declaration of Independence"-is also mine. This is just one of the reasons I call James a friend, and a fellow literary comrade-in-arms.

And why I recommend his book.

Ilana Mercer
Author, Broad Sides: One Woman's Clash With A Corrupt Culture

Jim Ostrowski writes on many matters in "Political Class Dismissed" , but the thread that binds these essays together is his doubts about the usefullness and honesty of government. He focusses much energy on the local scene, here in Buffalo, where politicians both local and statewide have destroyed our economy. His family vignettes, and the battles both he and his father have been through, personalize the book in a very meaningful way.
His defense of DiLorenzo's "The Real Lincoln" is incisive and accurate, and catches the spirit of this new breed of Lincoln critics. Jim summarizes the book nicely, and adds his own spin to DiLorenzo's commentary. Lincoln's excesses as a president are amazing to see laid out so graphically. Others have done the same for our twentieth century demigods, Wilson and Roosevelt, leading more and more of us to wonder about how political power is used and abused.
He covers many other areas, but one of my great interests has been the activities of our Communist brethren, especially in the area of murdering their citizens and neighbors. The "Black Book of Communism", while attacked by the left in France and here for being hard and nasty, does what has been needed for a long time. I doubt it will silence the noisy left on college campuses, but it will give some very graphic documentation to the accusations that have long existed against the Communist governments.
I expect that everyone will find many meaningful articles in this collection, and will especially enjoy Jim's humor and energetic writing style.

Political Class Dismissed is a compilation of 50 essays by Buffalo attorney and author, James Ostrowski. One of the lengthier essays contains an excellent historical anlysis of the City of Buffalo, its political structure, and decline. At the turn of the 20th century Buffalo was the eighth largest city in the United States and home to several important industries. It is now a place where blight, unemployment, poverty, and despair are pervasive. Mr. Ostrowski documents how the local political apparatus contributed to the demise of Buffalo.

Another interesting essay focuses on the history of the FBI. This essay demonstrates that, since its inception, the FBI has acted primarily as a domestic intelligence agency whose primary function is to monitor and quash political dissent.

Political Class Dismissed is an excellent addition to the library of anyone interested in American politics and offers thought-provoking solutions on how to get the country back on the right track.

This is an excellent book for the topic. Not the usual complaining. While the writer addresses the topic and the problems he also offers positive possible solutions to the issues. It is well worth your time to explore this well written work. Also you can jump about and not have to wade through one chapter to make sense of the next due to the books lay out.