Customer Reviews

Saving Freedom: We Can Stop America's Slide into Socialism

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

U.S. Senator DeMint's book is surprisingly good. It makes the reader believe that maybe some politicians in Washington D.C. actually see the dangers ahead as the current administration rushes the nation toward full-fledged Socialism. The American public is being given the proverbial "bums rush" out the door of freedom into the slavery of a socialist, fascist "Big Brother" state. Most American voters don't even realize it because they don't understand the terms or the concepts. The good senator is a master of explaining the problem. He makes wonderful use of metaphors in explaining how the "Siren Song of Socialism" works. His "Fox and the Gingerbread Man" is a wonderful way of explaining the dangers of gradually giving up one's freedom to the crafty fox or the wolf in sheep's clothing. He also tells stories about his own youth and uses favorite incidents from the Andy Griffith Show to explain some of his own beliefs. While this approach may seem corny to many readers, it actually works very well. It makes the difficult easy to explain.
It was interesting to read about a small businessman who didn't consider running for political office until age 47 after he'd built a business and life in the real world where he describes the public as looking at two kinds of people--"normal people" and a different breed known as "politicians." Most people had little respect for the latter. It was rare to find a "statesman" among the breed. Before he entered the political stage, he had spent years raising his four kids while his wife remained a "stay at home mom" who filled her free time volunteering for the school board, etc. DeMint also spent considerable time volunteering for his church and other charitable organizations such as the Rotary Club. He learned early that some of the very problems he and his wife were working to solve through their charities were either government caused or greatly aggravated by government policies. He recalls being surprised at this discovery.
While there happen to be several other current books on this subject including "Catastrophe", "Common Sense", and "Liberty and Tyranny" by Mark R. Levin, this one is different from the others. First of all it's written by a U.S. Senator with all the experience and the insider understanding of a one of our lawmakers. He admits there is plenty of blame for the current government problems. Both political parties are guilty. They all helped create the bureaucracy that has turned into an insatiable monster that must constantly expand in order to survive. That perspective adds great weight to his thoughts. It also gives the reader a little hope that somebody inside Congress understands the problems we are facing. That is comforting because DeMint does an unusually good job of describing the "Siren Song of Socialism." As in the ancient myth, anyone who follows the irresistible call of the Sirens to their Utopian Island will be devoured. The promises of a Paradise on Earth, simply persuade the unsuspecting victims to drop their guard, check their common sense and freedoms at the door, and follow the blinding light of hope into the hidden abyss of "broken promises". Like a fifth or sixth marriage, experience is trumped by hope.
DeMint does a superb job of explaining why Socialism, Collectivism and Utopia is so irresistible. The fact that Socialism has never worked anywhere on the planet throughout all of history is cleverly disguised as a promised new suit of lifetime security, that in fact will eventually turn out to resemble the Emperor's Clothes that weren't. It seems a universal human desire to always "be taken care of." The great Intellectuals of 19th century New England attempted to form and live in a socialist utopia that soon foundered and disbanded. Most of the world is currently running away from Socialism as the USA runs full-speed ahead toward the failed philosophy. Many people say that the nation is not headed for socialism as can be noted in some of the critical reader reviews of this book. People who can't see that the nation is slipping into socialism either don't understand the philosophy or are suffering from a bad case of either naivety or denial. They have forgotten the age old sage wisdom that "if it sounds too good to be true, it isn't true."
I don't feel I've even begun to do justice to this excellent book. You'll have to read it yourself to learn the definition of socialism, the history of it, the results of it or the cure for it. This book will change your life.

It is quite comforting to read a book written by a U.S. Senator about freedom in America, amidst the rapid expansion of the federal government that is choking the freedom Americans have known. Divided into three parts, Senator DeMint begins in part one by addressing the rise and fall of freedom in America. In part two, he expounds on the principles and institutions of freedom--my favorite chapter is on personal responsibility and freedom. Finally, Senator DeMint discusses the action plans to halt the slide of American freedom into socialism. Bravo to the senator for conveying his message in such a lucid manner and for understanding the true meaning of freedom.

Saving Freedom by Jim DeMint is a MUST read. While I am in my mid-fifties and a Vietnam-Era Veteran, I have never seriously followed politics...until now. I am all too aware that this country is going downhill fast! I find myself wondering what "I" can do to stop the direction the country is moving in.

Senator DeMint effectively explains to novices like me, what "freedom" looks like in the realm of politics and federal programs. He also explains what we can do as individual citizens to save freedom.

As I said before, I am a novice when it comes to politics. To that end I am grateful for the guidance Senator DeMint's book gives me.

Saving Freedom, by Republican Senator Jim DeMint from South Carolina, is chock-full of arguments for conservatism, capitalism, and free markets. The book does a fine job of laying out a coherent conservative philosophy, much as Mark Levin's Liberty & Tyranny did earlier this year. What separates Saving Freedom is its positive tone and its proposal for an affirmative agenda that, should Republicans pick it up and run with it, will give them an opportunity to clearly distinguish themselves from the Democrats' agenda of big government, big spending and big taxes. Where Liberty & Tyranny was a fighting manifesto that clearly defined the sides in the battle for the future of our country, Senator DeMint has laid out a plan that could do for 2010 what Newt Gingrich did in 1994: provide a unified voice and message for Republicans that will allow them to turn sleepy, mid-term elections into a loud, powerful national campaign.

The main value from the book lies with Senator DeMint's action plan, which proposes freedom-based, market-based reforms for education, personal and corporate income taxes, health care, Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. These are some of the biggest issues facing our country over the next half a century, and this plan increases personal and economic freedom, it puts people in charge of their destinies as opposed to enslaving ourselves to the federal government, and it will free money fromt he private sector for entrepreneurship and investment to spur economic growth.

This is solid. This is, as the Senator calls it, a freedom plan. Conservatives should read this book, understand the arguments, understand the plan, and communicate to others the reasons why this is a better choice for the future of our country than what the current administration and Congress are proposing. We should rally around Senator DeMint and his plan, because it truly offers a real alternative to the far-left Democrats in 2010 and 2012.

One good result of the current social climate and the issues pressing on America's citizens is increased dialog. The accelerated expansion of the federal government over the past months, starting before the recent White House administration change is waking a sleepy and rather spoiled population to the decline in our freedom. Jim DeMint's informed, accessible, and reasoned book, Saving Freedom is both the call and the equipment most needed by the majority of Americans who still value freedom and reality over tyranny and idealism.

In this book, Jim Demint lays out the realities that members of congress face. If our founding fathers saw how this process has been basterdized, they would roll over in their graves.
Their actions should be considered treasonous and those that push earmarks and spending in the manner it appears to be going should be put on trial.
Tip O'Neal said once that all politics are local. Until we implement term limits on congress, this will not change. I once was an opponent of term limits thinking that my term limit tool was at the ballot box, but due to the greed and God-complexes of members of congress, that is not feasable.
It is time to stop judging our members of congress on the pork they bring home and start looking at how much money they SAVED us as taxpayers.

While it may seem contradictory for a U.S. Senator to write about an over-sized government, Jim DeMint makes a great case for limits on his employer by revealing the absurdities in the current Nanny State system and attempting to instill fear in the reader for the impending socialism. In fact, it is DeMint's experience that as a Congressman that makes his condemnation of the institution so powerful.

Through parables and personal anecdotes, the Senator tries to convey common sense about government: democracy doesn't create liberty, liberty creates democracies; if you trade your freedom for security, you'll lose both; the individual is the only avenue to freedom; community organizations are vital to preserving liberty; and we shouldn't be bailing out corrupt companies when they fail after letting them sneak away with profits when they win.

DeMint gives serious lip service to being critical of both major political parties (he clearly critiques "Bush 2"), but he is a Republican after all, and he is clearly biased. Some of the points he brings up are valid, but DeMint clearly puts much of the blame for the slide toward socialism on the shoulders of the Democrats and fails to adequately critique the continued loss of liberty while both houses of Congress and the president were Republican. Also, his logic is flawed at points: "Why is socialism a threat to America? Because it doesn't work." Here the author fails to show what America is in the first place, then contrast that with socialism. Also, he could have made it clear that socialism isn't a left-wing ideology as opposed to fascism, which is a right-wing ideology. The far right IS the far left, not opposite it.

For the most part, DeMint is right on and everyone needs to assess the ideas in this book. "Freedom is on the decline in America" and we must act now to stop this trend. Over 20 percent of the country works for the federal government and over half receive a substantial amount of income from government. Because of that, there's a lot of vested interest in big government, but DeMint believes that everyone treasures freedom, and that we shall overcome the magnetic but self-destructive pull from socialism.

JSBM
Author, "Surviving the Second Great Depression"

The other reviewers have summed it up already, so I won't go into detail. Please read this book. If enough of us get informed, then we can start holding our representatives politically accountable for the bad decisions that they make. DeMint offers an action plan to resist socialism, but I am not personally optimistic that socialism is avoidable.

NOTE: I read the negative reviews and it looks like very few of the reviewers actually read this book. Please be aware that people who want socialism for America post negative reviews for books like this one, in order to discourage others from informing themselves by reading the book. Read the book and judge for yourself.

Everyone in SC knows who Jim DeMint is, so this book was an excellent conversation piece for South Carolinians. When this book came in the mail, I had several people grab it and read it before I could. My dad, who hasn't finished but one book in 30 something years and hates reading anything but newspapers and magazines, finished this book. It changed his opinion of DeMint. I was finally able to read this book, and it was interesting knowing why DeMint does some of the things he does. My opinion changed for the better also.

I believe that every American should read this book. Ignore the fact that DeMint is a conservative politician. Everyone should be exposed to both sides before they can make an informed decision about anything. That's why you should read this book. I love how DeMint stresses that members of Congress are there to serve Americans and defend the Constitution; they're aren't in Washington to serve their states.

My biggest problem with this book is that it reads a lot like a biography. DeMint could have talked more about America and socialism rather than himself, but if Al Gore can do it in "An Inconvenient Truth" and get away with it, then DeMint should be allowed to also.

Jim Demint is a good old boy Senator from the state of South Carolina, with a refreshingly honest and homespun perspective of the state of Obama Nation. He's right on the money when he sees this country sliding down the abyss of socialism, but what makes this book so compelling is he's got a solid game plan to keep that from happening.

Senator Demint is not just "whining" about what's going on; he's throwing down the gauntlet and giving the American people a tangible plan of attack to stop the insanity. We should be grateful for this advice; now, we need to heed it.

As the Senator so vehemently states, it's time to stop the waste and destructive nature of big (tax & spend) government; although his southern charm keeps him from being as blunt as a guy like the tenacious & irreverent Glenn Beck, Demint's message to the American people is similar: It's time to put the reigns on the tax & spend liberals/socialists/idiots who are sending this country down the destructive path of total economic & social chaos.

Clearly, this country could use more Senators like Jim Demint running around Washington, DC. We'd all sleep a lot better if that were the case. Let's hope they read this book and follow the instructions. I'd settle for that.