Customer Reviews

When Riding a Dead Horse, for Heavens Sake....Dismount!

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Dr. Asmus is with the Center for Policy Analysis, a libertarian think-tank. The book is an excellent blend of philosophy and real data, all of which is geared toward explaining how many of the functions performed by governments today would be better off in the hands of private enterprise. The book has two shortcomings: 1. It was inspired by the election of Clinton in 1992 and the subsequent 1994 "Republican Revolution", and, as such, much of the material is time-sensitive and will soon be outdated, and 2. Dr. Asmus' attempts at poetry. The main strength of the book is its abundance of real data to justify its points -- something often lacking in dissertations of opposing viewpoints. The only premise that the reader is asked to unconditionally accept is the idea that economic growth is good

I've had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Asmus speak twice at business conventions before purchasing any of his books, and he is one of the most entertaining as well as persuasive proponents of privatization. He is one of the best public speakers I have listened to. This book is not unlike his actual presentation, although he's even funnier in real life. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to see how government is NOT the solution to every single problem in life - regardless of what some politician says on TV. A must for anyone who is interested in government, politics and how they impact the economy. A good read!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dr. Asmus' ideas about the way things were, the way they are, and the way they will be. Specifically, he makes very powerful arguments that we should be very cautious when it comes to government control over anything. Why, he ponders, would we want to have the government do anything when the private sector through free markets can do it better and cheaper. Government is by nature a monopoly which can not simply "go out of business" if it isn't efficient. Compare this to a business which is constantly upgrading and improving in order to stay one step ahead of the competition. I read this book in 4 days and couldn't put it down. Since then, I have never looked at the U.S. government the same. Read this book, and you won't either!