MAIN IDEA:

The main idea of this book is to assert and provide supporting evidence for the historical fact that American left were closely linked to Soviet directed international communist movement and provided Soviets with all conceivable forms of support including espionage, transfer of military know how and equipment at the scale unprecedented in history. Moreover, Roosevelt administration was saturated with communist agents and sympathizers to such extent that even strategic plans and their execution overall was geared up to support Soviet strategic goals to establish communist political control over Europe and Asia.

DETAILS:

INTRODUCTION: “THE BEGINNING”

This is a brief tribute to individuals such as Chambers and Dr. Wirt, who initiated fight against communist infiltration and uncovered at least some communist agents and sympathizers. It also briefly touches mechanics of successful attempts to discredit such people by leftist intellectuals in media and government under control by Democratic Party.

CHAPTER ONE

This chapter starts with contemporary condition of extreme political correctness that successfully neutered American attempt of ideological resistance to Islamic supremacist movement. Author links it to the raise in American politics such leftist personalities as Obama with implicit help from Republicans such as Bush. Author also narrates her personal experience with PC limiting her ability to discuss issues as public personality on CNN. Author states that this PC environment of ideological control over discussion by leftists moved her to investigate historical background of leftists’ influence in America. It led to some unexpected discoveries and raised question that seems to be inconceivable such as “Who really won WWII?”

CHAPTER TWO

This chapter starts with period of late 1980s when Cold War ended. Author described supersensitive attitude of Bush administration designed to alleviate ideological consequences of economic and political self-destruction of Soviet System. She describes process of negotiation between Bush and Gorbachev when both sides seems to be the most concerned to present Soviet Union as equal power rather then looser asking for help. One of the most impressive things for author was very limited knowledge of Gorbachev about American land-lease program when USA practically saved Soviets by their massive supplies and reluctance of American leadership stress failure of Soviet system. This “ideological collaboration” combined with tremendous increase in real knowledge of Soviet system, made possible by temporary opening of Soviet Archives after demise of Soviet Union, prompted author to start a serious research of leftist movement in USA and to discover the scale of its influence in American politics and treasonous character.

CHAPTER THREE

Here author traces her own development from somewhat leftist background to reevaluation and consequent interest in question of why while USA won Cold War internationally it was loosing it internally when counterculture seems to be overtook traditional culture just about everywhere. Interestingly enough it came to her from strange cultural development that made crimes of National-Socialism well known, while crimes of International socialism, that were by level of magnitude bigger, where practically unknown leading to acceptance of such communist killers as Mao, Che, and Castro as positive symbols in American culture. She start looking at vilified McCarthy era and found that lots of claims of this anti-communist fighter were later supported by Soviet secret documents that come to the light in 1990s. Not less startling was her discovery that communist infiltration was really covered up by top politicians and bureaucrats of American government.

CHAPTER FOUR

This chapter is review of KGB and its predecessor activities in America based on a number of books that used open archives, including Mitrokhin diaries. These activities were by far more complex and successful than anybody could imagine. Author also looks at activities of soviet apologists such as Davies who provided propagandist support to Soviets from inside America’s top mass media organizations either due to their ideological inclinations, just plain treason, or both. Finally author looks at Reagan’s “evil empire” speech, finds it incredibly mild, and concludes that noise around it created by western leftists shows that soviet propaganda took deep root in American culture.

CHAPTER FIVE

This chapter is review of Roosevelt’s land-lease program as applied to the soviets. It demonstrates that not only this program was huge, but also that soviets often were given priority over needs of other allies, and even over needs of American military. Moreover it was transfer not only all kinds of material, but also technical knowledge of all things military and, most damaging, including nuclear research and supplies. Author also claims that the closest and most important aid of Roosevelt – Hopkins was quite possibly a Soviet spy with direct connection to Stalin.

CHAPTER SIX

This chapter looks not only at patterns of soviet deception in media supported by western intellectuals, but also at patters of suppressing and distorting history to build a narrative in which communism of if not a great idea, then at least not a virulent one. Author looks at Office of War Information that was saturated with communists and played a big role in distribution of communist propaganda by American government.

CHAPTER SEVEN

This is detailed review of Harry Hopkins role as the closest adviser of FDR and even at times practically substitute president. It provides quite a bit of information on Hopkins interference on the behalf of Soviets, his probable connections with soviet residents and even direct link to Stalin. However it is not completely clear to whether Hopkins was a spy or just ideological friend of soviets, but it does not makes lots of difference. The final results: most of Europe and Asia under Soviet control, and nuclear technology transferred to USSR, providing it with power not only counter much more economically developed West, but also keep expanding communist empire under nuclear umbrella. This chapter provides multiple examples of western politicians systematic refusal to counter soviets from the story of Katyn in 1940 to ignoring soviet violation of nuclear treaties in 1970s.

CHAPTER EIGHT

This chapter is about huge contrast between treatment of dissidents by soviets and by the west. In one case it was deadly concentration camps, outright killing, and even political assassinations abroad, while on western side there were “heroes of Hollywood” who bravely refused “to name names” and paid a severe price of doing their work under pseudonyms after being “blacklisted”. Needless to say, that this severe punishment was supplanted by adulation of all “decent” meaning leftists in top levels of American elite.

CHAPTER NINE

This is review of strategic direction of WWII as conducted by FDR administration. Author makes case that in reality it was subordinated to Stalin’s strategy to achieve significant expansion of communism in Europe. The two polar approaches were Churchill’s intention to expand strategic offensive from Italy up North through Balkans, cutting off Red Army from massive invasion of Central Europe that was passionately contradicted by Stalin’s intention to direct Western offensive to the Western part of France so it would be as far as possible from Central Europe, creating opportunity for Soviets to conquer its Eastern part.

CHAPTER TEN

This is another aspect of the war – potential of German resistance against Hitler. Author’s thesis here is that FDR ignored and even sabotaged opportunities presented by resistance from German military and intelligence. She seems to believe that demand for unconditional surrender was to stifle such resistance and removed possibility of elimination of Nazis by German military and early end of the war.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

This chapter if about Americans and others left behind in hands of Soviets. These were American POWs liberated from German camps by soviets that were transferred to Stalin camps with American government willfully ignoring their plight. Similar fate expected later POWs of Korean and Vietnam wars that where transferred to Soviet hands by these countries.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The final chapter comes back to parallels between historical weaknesses of West in the face of communist ideology and current weaknesses in the face of Islamic supremacist movement. Author also laments decline of American Republic, growth of big government, and limitations on economic freedom. She believes that it is time to stop this decline and return to Americanism with its individual freedom
as foundation of society.

MY TAKE ON IT:

This book definitely expanded my understanding of the scale of socialist / communist impact on American development in XX century. It is interesting that one could reasonably claim that this ideology practically won elsewhere including USA, but then self-destruct not because it encountered a serious ideological opponent, but because it is so severely detrimental to economic, scientific, and psychological wellbeing of people that it just could not possibly work. It is funny to see how each victory of this ideology either Nationalization of economy in Britain in 1940 or Obamacare in 2014 in USA wind up harming wide majority of people and eventually gets rolled back in subsequent elections, even if it take a dozen of years. It is not that funny to see victory of this ideology in countries like Russia there is no tradition of democracy and therefore feedback between actions of politicians and reaction of population is slow, painful, and takes 70 years and tens of millions of lives before it gets undone. However in every case it does gets undone and will always get undone because it contradicts human nature and therefore could not possibly work.

MAIN IDEA:

This is a collection of essays written from 1893 to 1910 and covering dramatic changes in American society. The end of frontier meant the end of unlimited supply of agricultural land that fed not only immigration from Europe, but also formation of immigrants into Americans – peoples with strong individualistic core and deeply suspicious of government who had very little use for it. So the main idea was to recognize and then describe what is coming next, which was big government democracy.

DETAILS:

I The Significance of the Frontier in American History

This is a key article in this collection. It describes history of American frontier and how it defined American culture. There is a very interesting point on difference between French and British approach: French was a trading frontier that did not encroach on Indians territorially, while British was a farming frontier that practically took land away from Indians and created settlements of Americans continuously pushing further and further West. The key factor was a very cheap land that provided ownership opportunity for everybody because all attempts to limit squatting and maintain elite ownership of land failed. Another point was that frontier promoted formation of American identity out of diverse European identities of new immigrants. Yet another point was increase of internal market and corresponding decrease of dependency on Britain with western expansion. However further west individual land ownership was decreasing and state nationalized control increasing because over time government power increased. However as long as western frontier existed it was main source of democratic nature of America, maintaining continuous tension against Eastern elitists and Southern slave-owners.

II The Problem of the West

This is about problems of the West circa 1896 as problems of American development. Author looks at the West not as geographical notion, but rather as a special type of social organization and culture. He again reviews history and West vs. East vs. South and concludes that its continuous expansion created a very special circumstance and with completion of Western movement the problem is to work out social ideal and adjustments for the whole America.

III The Significance of the Mississippi Valley in American History

This is detailed review of development of Mississippi Valley from sociological point of view with its movement from practically unrestricted competitive individualism to powerful democratic government build on culture developed in conditions of freedom.

IV Social Forces in American History

There are nearly 20 years between the first and the last part of this book. The end of frontier was far in the past by 1910 so author could discuss dramatic changes that occurred after frontier was closed. The most important was industrialization of America that led to switch of the main American type from a farmer into employee, sometime immigrant from rural farming family, but sometime new immigrant from Europe. The Country became interconnected by railroads and communication lines supporting huge amounts of goods, services, and information moving between people all over the country. This merge of country into one huge network of markets led to dramatic increase in federal government and its limitation on individual freedoms, especially in commerce. Author points out that cultural change that occurred also was in core American values: if for the pioneer the source of resources was unlimited nature around frontier and government was an evil that limited his use of resources, then for employee government become necessary protector of democracy and his access to “fair share” of resources produced by industrialized economy: “government of the people, by the people, and for the people”.

MY TAKE ON IT:

For me these old essays are interesting not only as historical artifact, but as eyewitness description of period in American history not unlike ours when old method: back then expansive farming being substituted by industrial economy regulated by big government; while in our time this big industrial / service economy is falling apart due to automatization and globalization and it is not clear what will be next. I hope that eventually idea of unalienable and marketable (rentable) equal rights for natural resources will take root and everybody will have enough such property to provide for acceptable living and ability for free people to pursue whatever activities they deem most effective in obtaining whatever ends they want to obtain.

MAIN IDEA:

The main idea here is to use personal narratives about 9/11 to link human behavior and attitudes to evolutionary development of human brain, its connection with technology and social connections, and, most important, provide support for the idea that human evolution continuing and it would lead to dramatic expansion of conscious understanding of environment and ourselves. Authors believe that this evolution eventually limit influence of individual ego and integrate people into “ the larger process of live”, moreover turning ego into “relic of our past”.

DETAILS:

Part I: The Prison of Feelings

Chapter 1 Evolution’s unfinished product

This is retelling of 9/11 events with stress on psychology of perpetrators as avengers for perceived humiliation of their group: Muslims. Here authors introduce the key idea they borrow from Einstein that “human being is part of the whole limited in time and space” and that individual’s perception of self as separate entity just an optical delusion of consciousness, kind of prison we should strive to free ourselves.

Chapter 2: What are emotions for?

This is discussion of need for emotions as necessary for survival mechanism of feedback allowing quick identification of situation and needed actions of do/do not type without involvement of conscious self. They illustrate need for such quick unconscious feedback by presenting the story of man with pathological absence of pain that keep getting into dangerous situations and needs constant supervision because such feedback is lacking.

Chapter 3: The emotional nervous system

Here authors review 3 parts structure of feedback constituting human biological controlling system: reptilian brain that maintains bodily functions, limbic system that support emotions, and neocortex that is new and specifically human part of the brain. There is also illustration of such processes as love, adjustment to environment, and parenting emotions.

Chapter 4: The pursuit of happiness

This is discussion of evolutionary meaning of happiness as reward that doing what is best for supporting survival of individual and his group. However there are limitations on happiness applied via hedonic adaptation mechanism when unusually high impact events either positive or negative are discounted overtime, leading to return to the emotional level specific to individual.

Chapter 5: Why do I care?

The final chapter of this part is about emotions related to others including “kin selection”, mirror neurons, evolutionary advantages of cooperation, and presentation self to the group. Based on research and such examples as blind athletes’ bodily and face expressions after winning or loosing, authors conclude that expressions of emotions is genetically predefined and consistent throughout humanity.

Part II: The Prison of Thoughts

Chapter 6: Becoming human

This part is a look at human individual as prison of thoughts via prism of the 9/11 terrorists. Basically it looks at the role of linked ideas in consequent actions of individual. In addition to thoughts and linked ideas of terrorists, authors provide example of monkey who selects fewer dates if it learned that more dates leads to less water. Then they look at human brain as machine for learning ideas and connections between them and then exploiting this knowledge.

Chapter 7: The conceptual revolution

Here authors review the next step that follows linked ideas–development of conceptual thinking including exclusively human ability to model past and future. Eventually we can find that all human live in artificial environment of concepts, models, and ideas that are built in their heads and eventually cause actions via which individual interacts with the reality. The development of these abilities directly connected with development of language and consequently the theory of mind as usual illustrated by Sally-Anne experiment. Other animals clearly demonstrated both abilities, but in very limited form. At the end of chapter authors look at pluses and minuses of our conceptual thinking, use of theory of mind, and ability to emphasize.

Chapter 8: Prima donna

This chapter is about individual’s ability for self-cognition and development of concept of self and ego. Authors use Osama Bin Laden as example of this process gong out of hand and causing hugely negative consequences for huge number of people including owner of the ego. This chapter also describes some charming experiments such as people’s preference for letters of their name and other Implicit Association Tests (IAT). Authors even try to present a history of civilization as “a natural history of the ego: dominance, control, and power struggles”.

Chapter 9: Wake-up call

This chapter looks at situations when individual’s concept of self and environment gets screwed to such extent that they commit acts of huge stupidity sometimes causing self-destruction. Thy provide example of astronaut Lisa Novak and then discuss interplay between contemporary technology and ancient, evolutionary developed workings of our brain. Another example of conceptual thinking distorting reality, relates to conspiracy theories of 9/11. Author looks at how these theories developed and how they used to spin evidence to fit into preset conceptual framework. At the end of the chapter authors reaffirm their idea of illusory nature of self-representation.

Part III: The Enlightenment Revolution

Chapter 10: The organism is in charge

This chapter is about unconscious functionality of organism. It is again uses examples from 9/11 to demonstrate how much our unconscious self influence our actions, ideas, and even problem resolution without clear control of our conscious self. Here authors bring idea of conscious and unconscious ego being a prison, which walls prevent us from unification with the universe and nature that we are part of and express hope that development of knowledge will allow to break out of these walls.

Chapter 11: Developing enlightenment

This is about the process of psychological development that starts even before birth. Authors present an interesting graph and then discuss all phases of development:

The final post-personal phase is the point of jailbreak from limitation of ego to merge with nature and humanity

Chapter 12: The rise of an enlightened humanityHere authors extend their model of development from individual to humanity overall:

The direction of development is to move away from ego, its limitations, and individuality to some kind of better world where people understand illusion of individual separations from others and nature, merge into one with universe, and eventually set themselves free from the human condition.

MY TAKE ON IT:

This is an interesting approach to humanity that is completely alien to my own thinking. The book is build around idea that individual ego is kind of prison developed by evolution to separate human individuals from unification with nature and other people in some kind of happy bliss. I, on other hand, believe very strongly that human individuals are separate entities, moreover the only conscious entities that exists and that our problems could not possibly be solved by elimination of ego, but rather by building rules and methods of interactions between egos that provide for the best possible opportunity for everybody without hurting anybody. I believe that we are product of dual evolutionary process: group selection and individual selection within the group. Authors seems to agree with it, only they see future development as elimination of individual, especially his/her ego, while I see future development as increase of freedom for every individual and merge all groups into one with very limited power of interference into individual live.

MAIN IDEA:

The main idea here is to provide kind of review of complex adaptive systems and scientific approach to their analysis, modeling, and forecasting of their behavior. The specific attention is to complex social systems with idea being that knowledge developed via analysis of complex adaptive systems elsewhere in nature could be applied to improve functioning of complex adaptive social systems.

DETAILS:

One: Introduction: True Places

This is all about complex systems. Author writes about science as a mapmaking activity with complexity increasing dramatically with increase in scale. That’s why big feature of science is reductionism, with every step up the scale resulting in loss of details. Moreover most complex system include networks and interactions, that too heterogenic to simplify without loss of key elements. One solution used in biology is development of scaling laws when some simple rule like link between hearts bit frequency with length of live. In social science similarly exist link between size of cities with largest being twice as big as second-largest, 3 times the third, and so on. This book looks at interplay between competition and cooperation in complex social systems with stress on self-organized criticality: straw and a camel type of change. At the end author proposes the new fundamental theorem about complex adaptive systems. At the heart of which there are agents searching for better outcomes similar to performing dance governed by some cosmic algorithm.

Two: From So Simple a Beginning: Interactions

Author starts with von Neumann’s cellular automata when each condition of the system directly depends on previous condition like in chess; with multitude of possible conditions making the path dependency critical. Author applies this logic to market and demand – supply relationship, coming to Hayekian conclusion that the system is so complex that relative optimum could be achieved only through self-directed actions of multitudes.

Three: From Hash Crashes to Economic Meltdowns: Feedback

This chapter is about feedbacks and consequences of spikes and flash-crashes when automatic feedback causes system to jump out of range of normal functioning. Obvious examples are stock market crashes and crises.

Four: From One to Many: Heterogeneity.

This is discussion of self-adjusting complex system based on example of air conditioning in beehive that depends on activities of individual bees. Important point here is diversity of individual bees that start acting at slightly different temperatures therefore providing graduate response to change resulting in high stability of the system. However it is not always the case. Sometime heterogeneity could cause system to be unstable. Good example society of N members each of which could revolt if he observes revolt of unique number of people between 0 and N. In this case system would be absolutely stable if there is sequence 1 to N and absolutely unstable if it is 0 to N-1. In the first case since there is nobody to be the first revolting, revolution will never occur, while in the second the person with 0 need in others will guaranteed to start chain of revolt.

Five: From Six Sigma to Novel Cocktails: Noise

This is discussion about variations in different statuses of non-linear systems including local optimums, using example of Six Sigma quality assurance program.

Six: From Scarecrows to Slime Molds: Molecular Intelligence

This starts with charming observation that “Brains are overrated by those who have them”. Then it proceeds to discuss quite intelligent behavior of bacteria based on very simple chemical reactions. The important point here is that choices that are made often seems to be so similar that completely unrelated event could push choice into one direction or another. Here is a nice illustration:

Seven: From Bees to Brains: Group Intelligence

This uses example of bees looking for a site for the new beehive to demonstrate group intelligence. Author also applies it to human social systems in process of political contest. Author expands this notion into continuum of groups at different levels from neutron to society, where the level of analysis could be selected at will with results of analysis being corresponding to selected level. Author also discusses breakdown of group intelligence like in ants’ circular mill:

Eight: From Lawn Care to Racial Segregation: Networks

This is about networks with multiple stable statuses discussed using a sample community with good and bad lawns. Another interesting example is simple segregation by type if network has just 2 types of agents with preference to own type:

Nine: From Heartbeats to City Size: Scaling

This is discussion of scaling with a very nice illustration:

Ten: From Water Temples to Evolving Machines: Cooperation

This is discussion of development of cooperation based on well-known example of Balinese Religion based Irrigation system. It includes more theoretical points of evolutionary process of change when small practically neutral mutations accumulate without expression and then create avalanche when one additional mutation activates many in sync leading to condition of cooperative advantage.

Eleven: From Stones to Sand: Self-Organized Criticality

This is another discussion of what used to be called transformation of small quantitate change into big qualitative change with nice illustration in distribution of change size:

Twelve: From Neutrons to Life: A Complex Trinity

This is somewhat mathematical part discussing statistical methods linking all complex adaptive systems into one logical entity susceptible for analysis and forecasting using similar methods regardless whether it is neutrons in nuclear reaction, neurons in human brain, or individuals in complex human society.

Epilogue: The Learned Astronomer

The final word is stressing need to know and understand self-organizing, complex, adaptive system as necessary condition for survival and prosperity of humanity.

MY TAKE ON IT:

I think it is a great approach to human society: a lot better than typical Marxist primitive and even mechanical approach based on Hegel’s dialectics. However I’d like to make a point that author of this book seems to be underestimating the impact of complexity not only of the system overall, but also every individual human being who is a self-directing and adaptive agent in social systems. Contrary to non-human system that driven primarily by realities of natural world and relatively simple biological adaptations to previously existing conditions, humans, due to their ability to accumulate knowledge and create unnatural environment for themselves, have luxury to live in cultural and ideological world of their minds that is capable dramatically decrease strength of natural feedbacks, leading sometimes to catastrophic consequences examples of which plentifully supplied by attempts of implementation of highly unnatural and non-common sensual socialist utopias in XX century. Hopefully the better understanding of complexity of social system would lead to cessation of attempts of rigid top down control over such systems.

MAIN IDEA:

This book is directed against new American elite of educated bureaucrats and federal politicians that formed, expanded with government outreach, and become dominant power in society over XX century, substituting old American elite of business owners and local politicians. All these bureaucrats and politicians dramatically increased their wealth elite at the expense of decreasing dynamics of economic development and frustration in middle class population. The book includes recommendations on decreasing this power via democratic process and new legislation.

DETAILS:

PART 1: The Greatest Threat to Liberty

1. A History of Ruling in the Absence of Liberty

This is the brief review of history of nature of relationship between rulers and their people. The key points always were:

• The ruler knows best
• Public works require coordination and therefore a strong ruler
• Even in ancient democracies when the ruler was elected by direct majority of ruler class minority, individual was suppressed as it is illustrated by Socrates story.

2. Liberty: The Real Meaning of 1776

The real philosophical meaning of American Revolution was not just democracy, but individual rights. In reality it meant freedom of individual to control his/her own live including the products of one’s effort. The big driver of American Revolution was British intervention into colonial economic live not only with taxes, but also with regulations. Author also looks at how this impacted lives of 3 founders: Franklin. Adams, and Hancock turning them from prosperous British subject into revolutionaries who risk everything.

3. Locking Down Liberty with a Constitution

This is look at American Constitution as only partial successful attempt to limit power of ruling class via division of powers, cumbersome decision-making process, and protection of individual rights.

4. The Ruling Class Rethink and Rebrand

The limitations of American Constitution worked relatively well for the main part of XIX century when America was country of economically relatively independent farmers. It begin failing when industrialization and big cities changed nature of the country. It opened way for rebranding of ruling class from aristocracy, which never really took root in America into “progressive” experts and social engineers who promise reorganize live into much better way than it traditionally was. Author looks at Planned Parenthood and Orwellian shenanigans around healthcare in US and Britain to demonstrate how rebranding was done.

5. The Progressive Superiority Complex

This is about superiority complex that is typical for members of not just ruling class, but wide mass of semi-educated bureaucrats who are backbone of democratic powers of this class. This chapter provides a couple of nice examples of self-serving pseudo-scientific research that claim to demonstrate intellectual superiority of “progressives” and, as one could expect, couple examples of them using non-profit and government entities for enrichment and suppression of competitors.

6. The Progressive Attack on the Constitution

This is a review of century long process of neutering American Constitution making it into meaningless paper used to justify whatever ideas ruling class wants to implement at any given point of time. It also looks at current apotheosis of this process during Obama administration when written laws interpreted and reinterpreted any way ruling class wants on practically monthly basis when the same claim on taking in Obamacare law is considered as tax for some purposes, penalty for another, and god sent gift to the individual being robbed overall.

PART 2: Mismanagement of Government by a Self-Interested Ruling Class

7. The Ruling Class Have Failed in Reducing Inequality; 8. The Ruling Class Have Mismanaged America’s Finances; 9. The Ruling Class Have Earned an F in Education; 10. America’s Infrastructure Is Crumbling Under the Ruling Class; 11. The Threat of the Second Amendment to the Ruling Class; 12. The Ruling Class and Your Property-Or Theirs?

This part is pretty much the list of problems either created or made much more dangerous than they would b otherwise by current American ruling class including both parties: Democrats and Republicans. Here are some graphs and tables demonstrating this:

PART3: Securing Our Liberty Once

13. The Pro-Liberty Majority

This is analysis of popular support for or against ruling class. It seems to be shows that while based on questions such as whether people want more government services or more economic freedom majority prefer more freedom and less services, however when it come to actual elections people vote for representative of ruling class. Maybe it is because the choice between R and D is just between different flavors of ruling class? Here are participation data showing that only about a half of eligible voters participate:

14. Policy: Philosophically Populist, Operationally Libertarian

This is author’s recommendation on winning election by running against ruling class mainly coming down to combination of populism (don’t take anything away) and libertarianism (we’ll give you more freedom in all areas)

15. Cementing the Restoration of Liberty and Democracy

Here are author’s recommendations on ruling:

• Restore power of congress
• Term limits not that much for congress as for executive offices
• Budget reform

16. Reforming the Fed: The Right Way to Take Back Control of Our Money.

Here are proposed changes for control over money supply with stress on ruling in currently prevalent bubble economy. Here is its nice illustration:

17. America Is a Cause, Not Just a Country

The last chapter is about the nature of America as country built on the idea of ruling in the ruling class and denying it control over society. As long as this idea was adhered to America was the most prosperous country in the world. Even now despite consistent decrease in support for this idea for the last hundred years and willingness of significant part of population to relay on ruling class for redistribution to them other people’s wealth, Americans still have about 30% of world’s wealth while being only 5% of world population. However American population wealth growth is actually stagnating for the last 20 years. This failure of improvement causes serious disturbance because being better off than others is not a big help.

MY TAKE ON IT:

I have no good feelings for ruling class either in history or now and actually have complete contempt for many of its representatives. I believe that America historically is exceptional country in its unusual access of resources to non-elite and consequent tremendous generation of wealth that occurred in this country. I agree that current development in this country starting with progressive movement in early XX century and currently bringing country to the state of stagnation is not sustainable. However I do not think that it will be smooth, easy, and involve just some relatively marginal legislative changes. I think that we are rather on the brink of massive change in constitution and approaches of population that will take considerable amount of time and would require serious clashes between different groups of population probably amounting to full-blown civil war (hopefully it would be cold civil war).