Must-Read Books For 2014

The following are must-read books for fellow conservatives for ideas and understanding of today’s world and where to move from here.

America 3.0 by James Bennett and Michael Lotus: This book deals with the development of America including past European influences. There are several points made by the author. The first is that our emphasis on the nuclear family was instrumental to our development and important to our future progress. Bennett and Lotus review how America went from a decentralized small Republican government and agricultural state (America 1.0) to a more centralized and larger government, which they view as coming to an end to be replaced with a more decentralized America 3.0. They have reviewed our history in a unique way and they’ve designed new policy toward a more libertarian America where social issues along with many of our federal policies are handled on a local basis. A smaller government and the return to a more civil society is the recipe for a revived America. Their foreign policy is a mixture of libertarians rebelling against a nation building to keeping our present alliances and protection of our sea lanes. It is a foreign policy that should have support of both libertarians and many past foreign policy hawks as their domestic policy is a perfect unifying theme for conservatives and libertarians who are looking for a plan that can reverse the present larger government.

The Growth Experiment Revisited: Why Lower, Simpler Taxes Really Are America's Best Hope for Recovery by Lawrence Lindsey: This book is a revised version of his book written in 1989 and the first half is much of the original book that explained the success of Reagan's economic policy followed by what worked in this century in the Bush administration plus what both Bush and Obama did wrong. His conclusion is that like Bennett and Lotus, we need to move away from the income tax to a sales tax or in the case of Lindsey, a VAT (a value added tax.) Lindsey has made it clear that unlike other proponents of the VAT, he doesn’t want to add a VAT to the present tax system but instead, replace the tax system with the VAT. Lindsey's value is that he not only gives an in-depth defense of supply side economics, but he has shown conservatives and libertarians a new way to move toward a decentralized government by eliminating the income tax. The principle that government owns a portion of your income maybe should end.

The End Is Near and It's Going to Be Awesome: How Going Broke Will Leave America Richer, Happier, and More Secure: by Kevin Williamson: This book follows along the trend of America 3.0 and like America 3.0, is an optimistic book. Williamson like James Bennett and Lotus shows how the present America bureaucratic state is collapsing, and one service Williamson does is to tell a history that is rarely told. He points out how many of those things we assume to be the role of government was actually handled by many private organizations. His take on education is brilliant as he observed how our present education system is derived from 19th century Prussian model, and maybe it is time to change. His ideas are now covered in Glen Reynolds' upcoming book on education reform.

Men on Strike: Why Men Are Boycotting Marriage, Fatherhood, and the American Dream - and Why It Matters by Helen Smith: This is a must read if you want to understand the damage that feminism has done to America as many men have simply figured out that it is easier not to marry, or for that matter, be aggressive in pursuing job opportunities to support the family since they no longer feel wanted or find that it pays off like it did in past generations. Ms. Smith is not a social conservative, but a libertarian, and her view on social issues are definitely libertarian like same-sex marriage but her book could easily have been written by any social conservative. Her point is that many men understand that it doesn’t pay to be chivalrous and be a White Knight as they are often mocked for it.  Many men no longer seek marriage or to be fathers and this is contributing to the collapse of the American family and spreading throughout society. Combined with the loss of many blue collars jobs and how many men are no longer going to college in the same number as women, you have an entire generation of men who are simply refusing to contribute to society in the same extent that their fathers and grandfathers did. And when family structure collapses, it affects the economic status of the whole.

Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right: What America Can Learn from the Strange Genius of Texas  by Erica Grieder: This book shows why Texas has outpaced the United States in this century. Ms. Grieder is not a Texas apologist and has no problems with exposing the underside of the Texas economy, but she also demonstrates that Texas has been the leading economic force in the United States, outpacing many blue states like California and New York. Grieder observed that Texans have a distrust of government and even many Texas Democrats are not proponents of big government. There is a historical reason for Texans' dislike of government, and Ms. Grieder's view is that much of the animosity toward government is directed at the federal government. The Texas Constitution was purposely set up to keep state government small and this is shown in how little state legislation meets. There is another result, and that is the private sector takes responsibility for many of the things that government would normally do. In many blue states and in Obama’s America, the private sector and much of civil society has shrunk in relation to government but in Texas, the civil society is still strong and more independent. The result is that Texas has seen more job opportunities than any other in this century.

The Road to Serfdom by FA Hayak: This is a brilliant short book detailing how the present welfare state is a threat to our freedom. Published during World War II, this book will allow a reader to understand the danger that faces us.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: This is one of those books that is not Rand's best work but the message is right on target today. She details the rise of the bureaucratic state and how it threatens our freedom. Led by the mysterious John Galt, Atlas Shrugged details how the best and brightest simply go on strike and the resulting chaos that ensues. Most recently, leftist law professor Jonathon Turley wrote an editorial, detailing how the bureaucratic state which he described as the administrative state has become a threat to our liberty as bureaucrats make rulings that impact laws, and the average American is ten times more likely to be tried by a bureaucratic entity like the IRS, EPA or SEC than a court of law. Rand's vision is coming true, and the IRS attacking political opponents of the present administration is simply one example of Rand’s nightmare coming true.

These books diagnose our present problems and offer proposals to get us from the disaster that is unfolding to a brighter future. In these dark times, true hope and change is just around the corner.

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