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

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Key Phrases: public problems, libertarian voters, drug prohibition, United States, President Bush, Cato Policy Report (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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 (February 25, 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.com Sales Rank: #188,386 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 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)

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.

18 of 21 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)

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 5 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

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