Arguments Summed Up: What It Means to Be a Libertarian

Title & Author: What It Means to Be a Libertarian: A Personal Interpretation by Charles Murray

Genre: Nonfiction--Politics & Philosophy

My Rating: 9.5

Summed up: According to Murray, human happiness requires freedom. In fact, being free, which is often a more challenging way of life, is the only way to live a satisfying life. To be free there must be limited government, one much smaller than our current one.

People own themselves and they have a right to live as they please, as long as they do not use force against others. Government plays a role in society in that it is to restrain people from using such force against one another. This is accomplished through criminal and tort law. In short, government should have few laws, but the laws they have should be very well enforced.

Additionally, government is justified in providing certain things that are "public goods," an elusive concept. One valid example of a public good, something that affects everyone or cannot reasonably be provided by private means, is national defense. Public goods is an often perverted and abused concept used to enlarge government power and limit individual freedom.

One of the most important freedoms is economic freedom which allows individuals to prioritize their needs and wants free from coercion. Coupled with this freedom are property rights. When people own something, they tend to take much better care of it, thus property rights are important part of a responsible society.

It is pointed out that freedom is not personal licence. Freedom must be coupled with increases in personal responsibility. Additionally, freedom gives you options, but it doesn't necessarily give you the ability or means to accomplish what you desire. As Murray states: Life limits options, government limits freedom.

Murray presents an image of limited government with no regulation of products at all by the state. As long as government enforces criminal and tort laws, there is no need for regulations. People will be punished if they injure others without the need of cumbersome regulations. It is hard to show benefits of regulations, but easy to show the ill effects: monetary costs, drugs that were kept off the market that could have saved millions, products not invented, businesses closed, and on and on.

While freedom may at times allow for bigotry or other unpleasantness within our society, when people are not permitted to use force against one another, people will cooperate. Freedom allows us to live our lives as we please, to associate with who we will, to make choices, and take responsibility for those. It is the path to the most prosperity and happiness for the most people.

To read my review of this book, click here.

The One with Behind the Mist

175. Title & Author: Behind the Mist: Book One of the Mist Trilogy by M.J. Evans (212 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Fantasy

Completed: 16 January 2011

Summary & Review:

What begins as a simple, yet strong, bond between and boy and his horse becomes a enduring partnership that sustains Nick and Jazz through their thrilling journey into the Land Behind the Mist: Celestia, a kingdom beyond this world, ruled and protected by great and noble horses who have attained the vaulted status of unicorn. While at first Nick appears to be the only human in this world, he learns the truth behind a battle that is threatening to tear Celestia apart. With the guidance of the Council of the Twelve Ancients and their leader Urijah, Nick and Jazz must face off against the forces of evil to save not only the kingdom, but also a lonely, forsaken prisoner held captive in the darkness.

This is the first book of my mother’s young-adult fantasy trilogy, The Mist Trilogy. I was able to read early drafts of this book so it was extremely fun to see the changes she made and to get to hold the actual book in my hands. The story, while being the first in a trilogy, stands as an exciting tale all on its own, while simultaneously introducing the reader to the developing mythology within the saga.

Behind the Mist would definitely appeal to fans of fantasy, a la C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. On the surface, the story is a fun adventure, but deeper levels hold meaning and teach a moral tale. It would be a great book for parents to read to their children to teach them important lessons while helping them gain a love of reading. Plus, it is just a great book to read on your own.

You can purchase the book from the website here, or from Amazon.com, BN.com, and the like.

Also, check out the blog for the series here.

Rating: 10.0

The One with The Haunted Air

174. Title & Author: The Haunted Air (A Repairman Jack Novel Book 6) by F. Paul Wilson (415 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Thriller & Science Fiction

Completed: 8 January 2011

Summary & Review:

Two brothers who run a psychic racket enlist Repairman Jack’s help to get even with a rival psychic who has been trying to run them out of town. While completing the job, Jack realizes the brothers have a much bigger problem: their house is possessed by the spirit of a child murdered during a sacrificial ceremony by a group who believe the ritual leads to immortality.

This was a good entry in the Repairman Jack series. The story was fast-paced and complex enough to be interesting without becoming a convoluted mess. While the Science Fiction aspects of Wilson’s series may not be for everyone, I am enjoying the developing mythology and I look forward to seeing the conclusion of it in Book 15, set to be published this fall.

Rating: 8.5

The One with What it Means to be a Libertarian

173. Title & Author: What It Means to Be a Libertarian: A Personal Interpretation by Charles Murray (178 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Politics & Philosophy

Completed: 27 December 2010

Summary & Review:

With the size of government ever growing, Charles Murray presents his argument that the best and only way to ensure the maximum wealth, security, and happiness is a libertarian form of government. Freedom, he argues, is the single most important aspect of our lives, and without maximized individual freedom we cannot achieve true satisfaction in life. Clearly, however, libertarians recognize that government does have a role to play in modern societies, a belief that sets this philosophy apart from anarchy.

In the introduction to this book, Murray states that he would prefer to call himself a classical liberal, rather than a hard-line Libertarian, but because the word "liberal" has had its original meaning perverted, he has settled with calling himself a lower-case-“L” libertarian. I guess that is about where I fall on the political spectrum as well. For example, it is hard for me to justify the full legalization of all drugs, including heroin and the like, as so many Libertarians do.

In the book, Murray’s arguments were clear and concise. He offered actual libertarian solutions to problems that seem to perplex so many in our government and media, and then backed up his positions with facts and the collected knowledge of thousands of years of study of human behavior and thought. He is clear to emphasize that freedom does not mean license to do whatever you want without regard to others. In fact, maximized freedom requires much more personal responsibility. Thus, he proposes a First Law of Libertarian Reform which reads: “Every increase in freedom of action must be matched with a corresponding increase in responsibility for consequences.” This is in the end, perhaps a more difficult way to live. Yet, that difficulty is what makes it so much more satisfying. Libertarians believe in smaller government with fewer laws, but the laws that remain are taken very seriously, allowing people to fully exercise their liberties while respecting the right of others to do the same.

If you are at all interested in learning more about libertarianism, I recommend this book as a good introduction.

Rating: 9.5

Arguments Summed Up: America Alone

Title & Author: America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It by Mark Steyn

Genre: Nonfiction-Politics & Current Affaris

My Rating: 9.0

Summed up: Steyn states Islam is rapidly taking over the world. Free societies are not having children. They are too concerned about ease of life because they have become addicted to government coddling. Thus, they do not have families and are kept in state of perpetual adolescence. To pay for their massive welfare states, Europe must rely on immigration, largely Muslim, for their work force. But, these Muslims do not assimilate as previous immigrants did, nor do they believe in the ideals of a free society. They see themselves as Muslims first, rather than as Europeans. Many of them want to turn their new countries into Islamic states, and Steyn argues that in the guise of tolerance and multiculturalism, the Europeans will roll over and let this happen. America must remain true to its ideals and must export the principles of freedom rather than just American pop culture to stem the flow of Islamic extremism coming from Iran and Saudi Arabia. We must fight the welfare state that kills individual self-reliance. Strong individuals make a strong nation and culture, and a strong culture will prevail.

To read my review of this book, click here.

The One with Rules for Patriots

172. Title & Author: Rules for Patriots: A Pocket Primer for Patriotic Americans by Matt B. Kibbe (64 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Politics

Completed: 25 December 2010

Summary & Review:

Matt Kibbe, president and CEO of FreedomWorks, offers his conservative alternative to Saul Alinsky’s infamous Rules for Radicals in this short guide to grassroots political organization. He covers how to organize a group, how to fundraise, and how to get your message out to the public.

I thought this book was an interesting and effective guidebook for citizens who want to become more involved in the local, state, and national political scene. Plus, it was free. So, I can’t really complain about that…

Rating: 7.0