This book threatens to blow up “. . .all existing political conventions: Democrat and Republican, left and right, liberal and conservative. It makes new arguments and uses new terms. Most of all, it is offers a view of the political, economic, and social order that is hardly ever heard today,” says Lew Rockwell.
The book is titled Liberty Defined: The 50 Urgent Issues That Affect Our Freedom.
Ron Paul’s first bestseller (#1 on The New York Times list) was his 2008 The Revolution: A Manifesto, written from his notes taken during his 2008 run for the Republican presidential nomination. This book started the political pot to boil.
His 2009 End the Fed debuted at #6 on the NYT list and went on to become a nightmare for the Fed and the banking establishment. Before End the Fed was published, people who talked about getting rid of the Fed were considered kooks. Now, now there are serious discussions about what Fed functions would be transferred to legitimate federal agencies (Yes, this suggests that the Fed is not legitimate.)
Liberty Defined threatens to become another nightmare, this time for political candidates who want to promote statist polices without being challenged. (Will Liberty Defined be banned at political town halls? Will purchasers of the book be put on the Department of Homeland Security’s terrorist list? [I’m only half joking here.])
Rockwell says that Paul argues “that doing something using government power always yields worse results than doing nothing. . . “
How many times have we seen the government attempt to solve problems only to make things worse? Wasn’t Ronald Reagan right when he said, “The government is the problem.”
Although Ron Paul’s formal education was in medicine, he has studied Austrian economics since his college days and had the good fortune to associate with some of the great economic minds of the 20th century: Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard, F.A. Hayek, and Henry Hazlitt, to name a few. Now, Ron Paul is one of the great economic minds of the 21st century.
Ron Paul has written or coauthored something like fifteen books dealing with gold, money and economics. If you’re a believer in Austrian economics, you have to talk about gold when talking about money and economics. The term sound money comes from the Austrian perspective.
Ron Paul’s views should be of special interest to gold and silver investors because he is the only prominent American who offers solutions to the financial and economic problems America faces. He is the only politician with the guts to tell the American people that if you want a balanced budget you have to cut welfare and warfare spending.
Insomuch as Ron Paul’s new book, Liberty Defined, is not yet released, how can I say that it is a bestseller? That’s my prediction, and I’m willing to make some wagers on it if anyone cares.
Liberty Defined can be ordered from Amazon
. Click on the link, and you will see that Amazon is offering the book prepublication for only $13.15 (bookstore price $22.95). With an order of $25 or more, Amazon waives shipping costs. So, order one for yourself and one for a friend who need some enlightenment on political, economic and monetary issues.
I know it is trite to say that a book is “must read,” but if you want to participate in a meaningful way in the political discussions that will decide the winners in the 2012 elections, Liberty Defined is the book to read.
This probably is a good book but the reviewer has highlighted it to a level that it sounds too good to be truly objective and probably biased politically. Economists should express their conclusions with facts and figures without adjectives IMHO.
What does “truly objective” and “biased politically” mean? Congressman Paul is discussing “liberty.” I think he can be “objective” about that.
Biased politically? No way. The Congressman will take on the Donkeys and the Pachyderms alike. He discusses issues from the “liberty” POV, not from the political POV.
Roy says, “Economists should express their conclusions with facts and figures without adjectives.” Statisticians use “facts and figures.” Economists need to consider human action, which varies with individuals.
Roy, get a copy, read it, then make another comment. Let’s see where you are after reading “Liberty Defined.”
I agree with Bill….basic Economics 101 bundles all the items of a society. Guns or Butter? All economic concerns regarding war or food are a personal, public, political and emotional process. In general, I mistrust “facts and figures.”
I say that the facts and figures bantered about by government, non profits, corporate, the media and the Federal Reserve Bank are dubious at their best. Insurance actuarial numbers are perhaps the only facts or figures that can be trusted…..maybe
I agree with Bill and Glenn. I am reminded of one of Albert Einstein’s quotes: “Truth is more important than fact.”
I’ve yet to read Liberty Defined, but have read Ron Paul’s other two books Revolution: A Manifesto and End the Fed. The subject matter of both books is wonderful, but I found Revolution a better read. Paul tackles the problems we face from a Libertarian point of view that I find is refreshingly more logical than that coming from most of our elected officials. I look forward to reading Liberty Defined.
If you are a follower of people like Ron Paul, Peter Schiff, David McAlvany, or Daniel Amerman, you should check out Chris Martenson and his set of free, non-political, non-religious, non-sales pitch fact based videos called the Crash Course. The video series ties together the economy (Monetary Policy, Debt, Entitlements) with energy, and the environment (primarily resource depletion and population issues). Most of the others on the list above only deal with the economy without addressing the other concerns that tightly correlate. You can watch the videos at http://www.chrismartenson.com – well worth the time.
On the political front, if you like the things Ron Paul has to say, another Libertarian Presidential candidate that is worth checking out is former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson. He did really great things while governor of NM and is another who does what he says unlike so many politicians.