Hear the author discuss the book on CNN.
As Americans head into a crucial election year, pundits are coloring everything in red and blue. But according to David Boaz, the old labels of left and right don’t tell us much any more. What we are witnessing is a contest of “Big-Government Conservatives” vs. “Big-Government Liberals.”
In The Politics of Freedom David Boaz takes on both liberals and conservatives who seek to impose their own partisan agendas on the whole country. He explains
• why freedom is both “pro-choice” and “pro-life”
• the growing libertarian vote in America
• how the Republicans became the tax-and-spend party
• how the Democrats joined the Republicans in foreign adventurism
• the failure of the war on drugs and what can be done about it
• how competition can give us better schools
• the betrayal of our constitutional rights
• why markets work and government planning doesn’t
• and everything from gay marriage and the nanny state to taxes and terrorism.
For nearly 30 years, David Boaz has been speaking directly to the large and growing number of Americans who are fed up with politics as usual. His articles speak to the perspectives and values Americans have always held privately and more and more are coming to embrace openly. Now, for the first time, his best writings are gathered in one collection.
A recent survey found that 59 percent of respondents described themselves as “fiscally conservative and socially liberal.” Boaz shows that majority that their fundamental political value is freedom. Whether it’s the freedom to choose a church, a school, or a lifestyle, The Politics of Freedom gives voice to a value most Americans embrace. For the millions of Americans who don’t neatly fit into the red or blue, who are fiscally conservative and socially liberal, who reject big-government conservatism and nanny-state liberalism, this book offers a new politics of freedom.
READ EXCERPTS
On President Bush-
“Bush and the new Republican Party are turning their backs on Americans who want smaller government. They’re delivering big-government conservatism across the board. But we already have a big-government party.”
On the “Difference” between Liberals and Conservatives-
“Liberals want to raise taxes because they can spend your money better than you can. They don’t believe in school choice because you’re not capable of choosing a school for your children. They think they can handle your healthcare, your retirement and your charitable contributions better than you can. Conservatives want to censor cable television because you’re too dumb to decide what your family should watch. They want to ban drugs, pornography, gambling and gay marriage because you just don’t know what’s good for you.”
On the Drug War-
“The drug war makes peace and prosperity virtually impossible in inner cities. Students of American history will someday ponder the question of how today’s elected officials could readily admit to the mistaken policy of alcohol prohibition in the 1920s but recklessly pursue a policy of drug prohibition.”
On School Choice-
“Every argument against choice made by the education establishment reveals the contempt that establishment has for its own product. School boards, superintendents, and teachers unions are convinced that no one would attend public schools if they had the choice.”
On the Nanny State-
“Critics of the welfare state are often charged with wanting ‘to tear down government programs and put nothing in their place.’ But what kind of political philosophy is it that looks at the vibrancy of America and sees ‘nothing’ except what the government does?”
On the Power of Communities-
“We can empower communities only by giving them the power to run their own affairs. As long as they are private, voluntary communities-including schools, churches, clubs, associations, and condominium-style housing developments-the policy of the government should be hands-off.”
On Immigration-
“If Hispanics were coming here under the rules that welcomed my Scottish and Irish ancestors, we’d still be a nation of legal immigrants.”