The Fresh Politics Reader: Making Current Events And Public Affairs Relevant to Young Americans (Paperback)

~ Taylor W. Buley (Author) "According to the Declaration of Independence, Americans-and, for that matter, all people-are entitled to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness..." (more)
Key Phrases: Social Security, United States, Bill Clinton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–This book comes across more as a simple manifesto of the authors libertarian views than as a look at the important issues facing our country. Topics are divided into two sections related to personal liberty and public policy and include the preservation of life, guns, drugs, marriage and sexuality, education, and the news media in the former, with the environment, energy policy, taxation, health care, foreign policy, social security, and affirmative action in the latter. Buley typically recaps current practice and the views from the left and the right, both of which he categorizes as statism and contrasts them with his own libertarian viewpoint. Accordingly, his opinions sometimes agree with conservative, and sometimes with liberal, positions and are often critical of both, advocating a minimum of governmental intervention. A major flaw is the books utter lack of documentation. The author cites facts and statistics without giving any indication of their origin or reliability. His own advice, take it from a college student, is a poor standard of scholarship to set an example for this audience. Although he claims his book isnt 280 pages of soapboxing, the lack of documentation gives it exactly that effect.–Jeffrey A. French, Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, Willowick, OH
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Product Description

Welcome to the 21st century. The information age. The time of miracles and wonder. Weren't things supposed to be different? Our modern society is pitting the growing ambitions of the state against the personal interests of the individual. This is exactly the kind of crisis that spurred America’s Founders to action. It’s time that someone reminds young Americans that every generation needs to protect its hard-won personal liberties.

This book is a tool for seeing past the state politics of corrupt statism.

Taylor Buley is a student at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of the political website freshpolitics.us. He brings a fresh, libertarian perspective to issues that have gotten stale in familiar debate. Among the points he makes:

- Modern technological advances "pro-life" positions on abortion, the death penalty and other issues) more compelling - government policies on security, gun control, Social Security and affirmative action all work against individual liberty

- Most statist policies attempt to trade vital freedoms for corrupt soils-seeking programs; this is a bad deal

- Big-government partisans still cling to mainstream media, where they use proven tricks like framing and labeling to push their agenda

- Statism isn’t so must an ideology as it is a shared point of view… shared by conservatives and liberals in the U.S. political arena

Buley shows young people how to recognize the tricks and hype… and how to understand their own needs and expectations of the political world. Most importantly, he shows readers how to use public policy to recover America’s best strengths for their generation.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: Silver Lake Publishing (February 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563437929
• ISBN-13: 978-1563437922
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,208,747 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This item is part of The The Practical Libertarian Collection Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Other reviews of this item were not helpful . . ., February 13, 2008

By	Matthew T. Rice "Matt Rice" (California USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a poorly written, naively conceived work advocating right-wing libertarianism under the guise of "making current events and public affairs relevant to young Americans". If your idea of fun and games is listening to a much less intelligent version of David Horowitz (who gave this a positive review) than buy it. Otherwise, save yourself the time. It's not worth the modest price. It certainly IS NOT the book to purchase if you want to provide a balanced education for young Americans in the area of current events and public affairs (as the title suggests).

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you've made it this far, just buy it!, June 5, 2006

By	K. Scott Hurff Jr. (Dublin, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Clear. Compelling. Concise. Exciting. Energetic.

These are words that I use to describe Mr. Buley's writing style and message. This book aims to uncover complex and sometimes conflicting political messages and problems, and it succeeds in this mission.

If you're a student with any interest in politics -- or want to learn more about it -- buy this book. You owe it to yourself to have some of the largest political problems of our age put into simple and exciting terms.

Liberty is valuable. It should remain that way.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, May 30, 2006

By	Peter Ostrovski (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a must-read for anyone, from the committed political aficionado to someone wondering why politics gets the attention it does. It tackles all the important issues, from guns and drugs to social security and health care, while digging deep below the surface on each one.

Mr. Buley doesn't waste space on the insignificant quibbles that turn many off from politics, but instead covers the substance of each topic he addresses. He never fails to leave out how an issue rose to prominence, why it deserves consideration, and most importantly, why the reader should care. While he writes from a libertarian perspective, he by no means forces the reader to adopt his views. He explains why he holds the beliefs he does, but provides the reader plenty of information to form his or her own opinion. The writing itself is clear, intelligent, and very easy to follow.

Anyone unsure of what to make of the current political melee, just starting to develop their politics views, or simply trying to gain a little more insight into the issues absolutely must read this book.