Feeling Your Pain: The Explosion and Abuse of Government Power in the Clinton-Gore Years: Bovard, James: 9780312230821: Amazon.com: Books

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Feeling Your Pain: The Explosion and Abuse of Government Power in the Clinton-Gore Years Hardcover – September 1, 2000

by James Bovard (Author)

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Right-wing libertarian columnist Bovard reveals Bill Clinton as the next best thing to Adolf Hitler in his threat to American freedom. From the "Green iron fist" of environmental policy to the "plundering and blundering" IRS, it seems that it's a miracle we can still breathe. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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Print length

426 pages
Language

English
Publisher

St Martins Pr
Publication date

September 1, 2000
Dimensions

6.75 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

0312230826
ISBN-13

978-0312230821
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Clinton-Gore years have been a catastrophe for individual liberty, writes James Bovard in this libertarian broadside: Clinton was the Nanny State champion incarnate--the person who taught tens of millions of Americans to look to government for relief from every irritation of daily life--from child safety car seats to unpasteurized cider to leaky basements. Clinton's perennial message was that people should trust political action far more than the voluntary efforts of individuals to improve their own lives. Bovard, a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, occasionally goes overboard--"Clinton sees government revenue as the source of all progress and all justice" and "Clinton exploited and expanded the dictatorial potential of the U.S. presidency." Yet he expertly marshals evidence to support his thesis that "no aspect of Americans' lives was too arcane for federal intervention" during the Clinton years. He notes that the average two-earner family's total tax burden rose three times faster than inflation, that the IRS has collected tens of billions of dollars in wrongful penalties and taxes not owed, and that the Justice Department has seized more than $600 million in private property, even though "the vast majority of people whose property is seized by federal agents are never formally charged with a crime." Bovard also takes extended looks at AmeriCorps, affirmative action, the war on drugs, agriculture policy, Waco, and more--and at every turn he sees an unmitigated calamity. His chapter on disaster relief is especially good, showing how the Federal Emergency Management Agency is "determined to spend tax dollars to rescue citizens, regardless of how irresponsible or negligent they have been and regardless of whether they have requested help." Bovard is an upscale, libertarian version of bestselling author Martin L. Gross, and Feeling Your Pain will appeal to readers interested in muckraking accounts of the welfare state and its blunders. --John J. Miller

From Library Journal

Despite Bill Clinton's claim that the era of big government is over, Bovard (Freedom in Chains) portrays the President's terms in office as a nightmarish progression of unconstitutional federal intrusion into the individual rights of citizens. Bovard, a libertarian who believes that little government is the best government, calls for the dismantling of federal agencies, most notably the IRS, the FBI, and HUD. He convincingly shows how poorly planned and executed government responses contributed to the tragedies of Ruby Ridge in 1992 and Waco the following year, but he is silent about how the anti-government beliefs of Timothy McVeigh led to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. In addition to President Clinton, Bovard holds special contempt for Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI director Louis Freeh. The author relies on the assumption that charity and the inherent good will of people will provide an adequate safety net for the poor in the absence of federal programs. Although Bovard's views and remedies will trouble moderates, he documents in exacting detail numerous examples of government gone mad. This controversial work gives the reader much to ponder. Recommended for public libraries.DKarl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Clinton-haters and some (though perhaps not all) libertarians will be the primary audience for this latest screed from a journalist who writes frequently for the Wall Street Journal, the American Spectator , and Play boy. "The Clinton administration," Bovard declares in his introduction, "stretched the power of government on all fronts." He endeavors to demonstrate that premise with chapters on AmeriCorps, the IRS, affirmative action, FEMA, the War on Drugs, search and seizure property forfeitures, trade agreements, HUD, farm legislation, the enforcement of disability protection and environmental legislation, gun control, Waco, Ruby Ridge, "The Reno-Freeh Whitewash Team," and Kosovo. This rather mixed bag includes at least a few complaints almost any reader will share, but Bovard's aggressive antigovernment sentiments will not be as universally accepted. Still, where Cato Institute publications are popular and any criticism of the man in the White House circulates, Bovard's attacks will have appeal. Mary Carroll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Kirkus Reviews

Another of Bovard's harangues against the power of the federal government, this time focusing primarily on the Clinton administration's domestic policies and programs.Washington journalist Bovard (Freedom in Chains, not reviewed, etc.) charges fervidly that President Clinton has "exploited and expanded the dictatorial potential of the U.S. presidency." To back up this assertion, the author examines numerous government agencies (DOJ, FBI, HUD, EEOC, FEMA, EPA, ATF), programs (AmeriCorps), and policies (farm subsidies, the war on drugs, gun control, affirmative action, trade agreements)-and finds evidence of bad thinking and abuse of power everywhere he looks. AmeriCorps, he claims, is "little more than social work tinged with messianic delusions," and FEMA's "lackeys throw federal checks at everyone they see." Bovard's use of name-calling, exaggeration, loaded language, and colorful images-he describes the DOJ and the FBI as "competing for the best imitation of the Keystone Kops" and Clinton's trade policy as "slave to almost any pressure group that caterwauled on the White House steps"-are designed to stir emotions, not to promote reasonable discussion of controversial issues. While Clinton is seen as the worst abuser of government power, Republicans are also criticized, with the hapless Newt Gingrich receiving the brunt of Bovard's ire for his inability to deliver the goods that were ordered in the elections of 1994. The various news media are also heavily criticized for complicity and cowardice. But the author sees the problem going much deeper-and we are all part of it. Americans, Bovard says, must stop being subjects and become the self-reliant citizens the Founding Fathers envisioned.Replete with quotable lines, a diatribe well-timed to bring heat but little light to this fall's campaign. -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

" 'Feeling Your Pain' may well survive as the best political obituary of the Clinton era..." -- Vin Suprynowicz, nationally syndicated columnist

"Feeling Your Pain is filled with horror stories, but they are spun so engagingly that readers may feel pleasure even as they grit their teeth in rage." -- Wall Street Journal

"The book lays out the crimes Clinton has practiced against the American people." -- Charley Reese, The Orlando Sentinel, August 8, 2000

"The book makes the case against this president with nary a word about the Lewinsky affair." -- Steven Greenhut, The Orange County Register, June 22, 2000

James Bovard has become the roving inspector general of the modern state. -- The Wall Street Journal

the book lays out the deceptions and intimidations that the government under William Jefferson Clinton has practiced... -- Charley Reese, The Orlando Sentinel, August 8, 2000

About the Author

James Bovard is a journalist who has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek. He is the author of Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty (SMP, 1994).

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ St Martins Pr; First Edition (September 1, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 426 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312230826
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312230821
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.75 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,827,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,472 in Public Affairs & Administration (Books)
- #2,537 in Urban Planning and Development
- #5,906 in Civil Rights & Liberties (Books)

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James Bovard

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James Bovard is the author of Last Rights: The Death of American Liberty (2023) Public Policy Hooligan (2012), Attention Deficit Democracy (2006), and eight other books. He is a member of the USA Today Board of Contributors, a frequent contributor to the New York Post, and has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Playboy, and the Washington Post, and is a fellow with the Libertarian Institute. His books have been translated into Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, and Korean.

The Wall Street Journal called Bovard 'the roving inspector general of the modern state,' and Washington Post columnist George Will called him a 'one-man truth squad.' His 1994 book Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty received the Free Press Association's Mencken Award as Book of the Year. His book Terrorism and Tyranny won the Lysander Spooner Award for the Best Book on Liberty in 2003. He received the Thomas Szasz Award for Civil Liberties work, awarded by the Center for Independent Thought, and the Freedom Fund Award from the National Rifle Association.

His writings have been been publicly denounced by the chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Postmaster General, and the chiefs of the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. International Trade Commission, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In 2015, the Justice Department sought to suppress his articles in USA Today.

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Kindle Customerjoan

Looks good to me--listen up hysterical leftists!

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2005

Verified Purchase

James Bovard is a bestselling libertarian author and lecturer, whose political commentary targets examples of governmental waste, failures, and abuses of power.

His Books:

The Fair Trade Fraud (1992)

Lost Rights (1995)

Shakedown (1996)

FREEDOM IN CHAINS: THE RISE OF THE STATE AND THE DEMISE OF THE CITIZEN (2000) Just finished this book and it is filled with examples of the "Statist" (politicians and bureaucrats) extorting money to facilitate their appetite for power and thus controlling as many aspects of life in these "United States"(separation into red and blue states does not make much difference). The research is excellent and the sources of "wisdom" are unrivaled. The EEOC and EPA appear to be the most outrageous of bureaus but closely followed by HUD and others; however, the Supreme Court clearly wins the "stuck on stupid" award between the three branches and the Senate is a clear choice in the Congress. Much of what Mr. Bovard relates is probably well known by the average political savvy reader, but his ability to back up his message with research, i.e. facts and sagacious quotes makes for an excellent read. Still, as one other reader stated, "What exactly can be done with the current apathy and addiction to the Welfare State by so many voters?". An excellent 5 star book.

*****FEELING YOUR PAIN: THE EXPLOSION AND ABUSE OF GOVERNMENT IN THE CLINTON-GORE YEARS(2001) An excellent recap of what the pervert, his enabler wife and a cast of spinners cum sycophants "got away with" during a low point for the country rivalled only by the Johnson and Carter year. The Nixon years were not that great either as the 60s crowd, along with their "start, cut and run" Democrat friends, began to take over the country, after Watergate. Clinton and Hillary certainly lived up to their ''60s elite lawyer promise after practicing crooked law/politics in Arkansas. As Bovard tells the story in his book, the Clintons set new records in corruption while conning their enemies and receiving unwavering support from their Democrat allies and the media! A 5 star for the details of the crimes already known.

TERRORISM AND TYRANNY: TRAMPLING TREEDOM, JUSTICE, AND PEACE TO RID THE WORLD OF EVIL(2003) Anyone who read the two books above is bound to be a bit disappointed with this;however, it is well written but seems to emphasize Board's libertarian roots too much for my taste. The topic is also a bit tough for a libertarian as they are creatures of "no government". National defense is not their bag and especially dealing with a threat on home turf. Civil rights and street radical will love to find out they were mistreated by their government even more than they thought. Bovard pull out all the stops in relating the excesses of big government spying and some of his sources such as Senator Leahy, the ACLU and other acronyms appear to border on conjecture at times. Probably a 3 star mostly for the facts among too much philosophy and "privacy" nonsense.

The Bush Betrayal (2004)

Quotes:

"Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner." (1994). This is my favorite and another version could be a jackass (Dems) and an elephant (Republicans) fighting over "hay" (tax receipts) that does not belong to them. They then give some back to the "original owners" (taxpayers) after eating their "fill" (outrageous retirements, perks, etc.) and providing some to their "herd" (special interests). THIS ITEM WAS EDITED--From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia--LOG ON [...]

2 people found this helpful

Mr. K. D. Cooper

What About Hillary?

Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2015

Verified Purchase

I only received this book today; but I am able, with confidence, to award it the one-star rating. I looked at the index to see what reference is made to Hillary Clinton: There are only 2; and going to the text, they say nothing. I have read 4 books on the Clinton years: "THE FINAL DAYS: The Last, Desperate Abuses of Power by the Clinton White House" by Barbara Olsen. And the other 3 made up a trilogy written by Victor Thorn: HILLARY (And Bill) The Sex Volume; HILLARY (And Bill) The Drugs Volume; and HILLARY (And Bill): The Murder Volume. The Amazon summary on these 3 books displays the layout of the covers and the great prominence they give to HILLARY.
What is common to all of these books is that the Clinton administration was a co-presidency; with Hillary as the leader. The opening paragraphs of Chapter 2 (headed: Clemency for Cop Killers) demonstrates this. The second sentence of the first paragraph: "It was America's first joint presidency &c.". And as all these books develop, it is clear that Hillary was the Queen Bee of the Clinton hive. And she appears to have performed her role as a modern day Lucretia Borgia. God help America if she gets nominated and wins the 2016 election.

A devastating indictment

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2000

I first became acquainted with James Bovard through his book "Lost Rights, the Destruction of American Liberty." That book formed the basis of countless hours of discussion on my radio talk show. "Feeling your Pain" is even better! Bovard has focused on the excesses of one administration --- the anti-rule-of-law years of the Clintonistas. If you have a friend or acquaintance who feels that government is benign -- or who would rather watch pro-wrestling than spend one moment actually discussing politics and government ... then see if you can get them to read just one page from "Feeling your Pain." After they manage to peel themselves off the ceiling they'll become newly aware of the threat present by an Imperial Presidency. Neal Boortz END

49 people found this helpful

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