The Politics of Freedom: Taking on The Left, The Right and Threats to Our Liberties [Hardcover]

David Boaz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 18, 2008

Is it any wonder that Americans have become so dissatisfied with government today? Politicians have given us soaring federal spending, rampant violations of our constitutional rights, a futile war in Iraq, corruption, incompetence, and a growing nanny state. Now one of the leading libertarian critics of big government raises the flag of freedom. David Boaz takes on both liberals and conservatives who seek to impose their own partisan agendas on the whole country. He discusses the roots of American freedom, the growing libertarian vote in America, the arrogance of politicians, and everything from taxes and education to terrorism and the war on drugs. For the millions of Americans who don't fit the red-blue divide, who are fiscally conservative and socially liberal, who reject big-government conservatism and nanny-state liberalism, this book points the way to a new politics of freedom.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Cato Institute (January 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933995149
• ISBN-13: 978-1933995144
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #654,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Boaz is the executive vice president of the Cato Institute. He has played a key role in the development of the libertarian movement. He is the author of "Libertarianism: A Primer," described by the Los Angeles Times as "a well-researched manifesto of libertarian ideas," and of "The Politics of Freedom"; and the editor of "The Libertarian Reader," the "Cato Handbook For Policymakers," "Liberating Schools," "The Crisis in Drug Prohibition," and other books. His articles have been published in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, National Review, and Slate. He is a frequent guest on national television and radio shows, and has appeared on "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher," "Crossfire," Bill Buckley's "Firing Line," NPR's "Talk of the Nation" and "All Things Considered," "John McLaughlin's One on One," Fox News Channel, BBC, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other media. He is a popular speaker on college campuses and at corporate and community events.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading for the Upcoming Election, March 29, 2008

By 

Travis Walker (Terre Haute, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Politics of Freedom: Taking on The Left, The Right and Threats to Our Liberties (Hardcover)

To ensure that this review gets read, I am going to keep it brief with a few observations.

Anyone that wishes to be considered an informed voter must be accurately informed about what the Democrat and Republican policies have done to our country post 1980. David Boaz's latest book provides us with this very much needed information. Specifically, he provides with much of his best work that he has written over the years that accurately describe many of the failed polices that have been enacted by our government since 1980.

His use of evidence of how both political parties have enlarged the size and scope of the federal government, spent us into a $9 trillion deficit with ever increasing entitlement programs, continued a failed war on drugs, increased the nanny state, and weakened our military by putting it in parts of the world it has no business being in are just a few of the adverse effects that Republican and Democrat polices have had on our country--David Boaz lists many others that are just as important.

If you agree with many of the points of this book than you are not alone--many of us, when asked are policy preferences, are "mostly Libertarian" but don't even know it. If you disagree, explain where David Boaz's analysis has gone wrong; but good luck justifying his errors because it won't be easy.

22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth Reading . . ., February 24, 2008

By 

C. Green (ORLANDO, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Politics of Freedom: Taking on The Left, The Right and Threats to Our Liberties (Hardcover)

There are only three things I want the federal government to do. Defend our shores. Protect our rights. And stay the heck out of our lives. If you agree (more or less), you'll find much to like in this collection. You will not find a more passionate and articulate defender of liberty than David Boaz.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be assigned as supplemental reading for any classes debating civil liberties., April 4, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Politics of Freedom: Taking on The Left, The Right and Threats to Our Liberties (Hardcover)

THE POLITICS OF FREEDOM: TAKING ON THE LEFT, THE RIGHT, AND THREATS TO OUR LIBERTIES provides college-level collections strong in political science with a powerful discussion of partisan agendas and failures and successes in social management. From important connections to basic political and social freedoms to underlying politics which support such freedoms, this should be an item of choice for not only political science and sociology collections, but should be assigned as supplemental reading for any classes debating civil liberties.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch