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How To Build Your Own Liberty Library
By BURNIE THOMPSON, For The Bulletin
Too many liberals and conservatives have one thing in common: They want to unleash the coercive power of government against free people in order to pursue their ideas of justice. The great battle in human history has been between liberty and state power. Liberty has usually lost. Many Americans think the Constitution grants our rights and freedoms. It does not. The Constitution does not give us a single right. Rather, it protects the rights with which we were born. Thomas Jefferson said, “The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time.”
Our Founders built America on the foundation of Judeo-Christian ethics and natural law. Our right to life, liberty and property is a divine gift from God and is inherent in our humanity.
Free people have limitless rights to live self-directed lives, but the federal government only has the powers expressly enumerated in the Constitution. Jefferson also warned of government encroachment and the yielding of liberty.
The Constitution and our freedom have suffered the ravages of power-hungry politicians, activist judges and apathetic Americans.
We must reclaim our patriotic heritage before it’s too late. But first we have to understand it. Since it would undermine public schools (read: government) to teach the virtues of limited government, we must teach ourselves.
Every American needs a liberty library in order to support and defend freedom with a keen understanding. Along with the Bible, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, I recommend nine books as essential additions to your collection:
1. “The Law” by Frederic Bastiat — The 19th century French economist and philosopher explains the self-serving nature of humankind and condemns the confiscatory inclination of government: “The state is the great fiction by which everybody tries to live at the expense of everyone else.”Therefore, the proper application of law is to protect private property and punish plunder from individuals or government.
2. “The Road to Serfdom” by F.A. Hayek — The Nobel Prize-winning economist championed free markets in the mid-20th century while the American intellectual elite universally touted collectivism. He coined the term “spontaneous order”to describe the economic and social harmony arising from free people pursuing their own interests. He contrasts that with the shortages and misery caused by the “fatal conceit”of coercive central planners, as in the old Soviet Union.
3. “Free to Choose” by Milton and Rose Friedman — Milton Friedman —another Nobel Prize winner —is perhaps the most-respected economist and commentator of the 20th century. Ronald Reagan considered this book a must-read in order to better understand how the explosion of laws, regulations, agencies and spending are as counterproductive as they are oppressive.
4. “Economics in One Lesson” by Henry Hazlitt — Even Hayek was impressed, saying, “I know of no other modern book from which the intelligent layman can learn so much about the basic truths of economics.”Hazlitt’s explanation of the “broken window”economic fallacy is priceless. Politicians can’t pander to readers of this book because the fallacies become obvious.
5. “The Incredible Bread Machine” by R.W. Grant — This brilliant book discusses the history of American capitalism, principles of a market economy, and how political force disrupts our lives. It’s best known, though, for the poem about an inventor who fed the world by creating a machine that produced bread for less than a penny a loaf. But he was vilified rather than celebrated: “What right had he to get so rich on other people’s hunger?”
6. “Liberty and Tyranny” by Mark Levin — This new book is an exciting refresher for people who have studied American government and a near-perfect introduction for those interested in learning. Levin’s succinct and lucid prose is irrefutable and packed with relevant historical notes. It goes beyond partisanship and focuses on the principles of liberty, and its ever-encroaching threats.
7. “1984” by George Orwell — This haunting negative utopia traps us inside a world where our thoughts are controlled by a totalitarian government. Doublespeak prevails —for example, the Ministry of Truth rewrites history and spreads propaganda. Orwell shows how the natural human yearning for freedom, truth, and love can be altered though government control of language. Political correctness — or totalitarian tolerance —is one great leap toward Orwell’s nightmare.
8. “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand — This is a celebration of reason, creativity and self-ownership; her magnum opus was chosen the second most-influential book on Americans’ lives (after the Bible) in a 1991 joint Library of Congress/Book of the Month Club survey. Think of productive members of society as Atlas holding up the world of social entitlements —what if they refused to be plundered any longer, and shrugged off the burden?
9. “The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution” by Kevin Gutzman — This empowering new book explains how the Framers understood the Constitution and how judges and politicians have trampled it.
I’ll leave the 10th spot open for your recommendation.
Burnie Thompson hosts “The Burnie Thompson Show” on Talk Radio 101.1FM in Panama City, Florida. He can be reached at burnie@burniethompson.com.
Our Founders built America on the foundation of Judeo-Christian ethics and natural law. Our right to life, liberty and property is a divine gift from God and is inherent in our humanity.
Free people have limitless rights to live self-directed lives, but the federal government only has the powers expressly enumerated in the Constitution. Jefferson also warned of government encroachment and the yielding of liberty.
The Constitution and our freedom have suffered the ravages of power-hungry politicians, activist judges and apathetic Americans.
We must reclaim our patriotic heritage before it’s too late. But first we have to understand it. Since it would undermine public schools (read: government) to teach the virtues of limited government, we must teach ourselves.
Every American needs a liberty library in order to support and defend freedom with a keen understanding. Along with the Bible, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, I recommend nine books as essential additions to your collection:
1. “The Law” by Frederic Bastiat — The 19th century French economist and philosopher explains the self-serving nature of humankind and condemns the confiscatory inclination of government: “The state is the great fiction by which everybody tries to live at the expense of everyone else.”Therefore, the proper application of law is to protect private property and punish plunder from individuals or government.
2. “The Road to Serfdom” by F.A. Hayek — The Nobel Prize-winning economist championed free markets in the mid-20th century while the American intellectual elite universally touted collectivism. He coined the term “spontaneous order”to describe the economic and social harmony arising from free people pursuing their own interests. He contrasts that with the shortages and misery caused by the “fatal conceit”of coercive central planners, as in the old Soviet Union.
3. “Free to Choose” by Milton and Rose Friedman — Milton Friedman —another Nobel Prize winner —is perhaps the most-respected economist and commentator of the 20th century. Ronald Reagan considered this book a must-read in order to better understand how the explosion of laws, regulations, agencies and spending are as counterproductive as they are oppressive.
4. “Economics in One Lesson” by Henry Hazlitt — Even Hayek was impressed, saying, “I know of no other modern book from which the intelligent layman can learn so much about the basic truths of economics.”Hazlitt’s explanation of the “broken window”economic fallacy is priceless. Politicians can’t pander to readers of this book because the fallacies become obvious.
5. “The Incredible Bread Machine” by R.W. Grant — This brilliant book discusses the history of American capitalism, principles of a market economy, and how political force disrupts our lives. It’s best known, though, for the poem about an inventor who fed the world by creating a machine that produced bread for less than a penny a loaf. But he was vilified rather than celebrated: “What right had he to get so rich on other people’s hunger?”
6. “Liberty and Tyranny” by Mark Levin — This new book is an exciting refresher for people who have studied American government and a near-perfect introduction for those interested in learning. Levin’s succinct and lucid prose is irrefutable and packed with relevant historical notes. It goes beyond partisanship and focuses on the principles of liberty, and its ever-encroaching threats.
7. “1984” by George Orwell — This haunting negative utopia traps us inside a world where our thoughts are controlled by a totalitarian government. Doublespeak prevails —for example, the Ministry of Truth rewrites history and spreads propaganda. Orwell shows how the natural human yearning for freedom, truth, and love can be altered though government control of language. Political correctness — or totalitarian tolerance —is one great leap toward Orwell’s nightmare.
8. “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand — This is a celebration of reason, creativity and self-ownership; her magnum opus was chosen the second most-influential book on Americans’ lives (after the Bible) in a 1991 joint Library of Congress/Book of the Month Club survey. Think of productive members of society as Atlas holding up the world of social entitlements —what if they refused to be plundered any longer, and shrugged off the burden?
9. “The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution” by Kevin Gutzman — This empowering new book explains how the Framers understood the Constitution and how judges and politicians have trampled it.
I’ll leave the 10th spot open for your recommendation.
Burnie Thompson hosts “The Burnie Thompson Show” on Talk Radio 101.1FM in Panama City, Florida. He can be reached at burnie@burniethompson.com.
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