Best Constitutions
His proposals are pure common sense, ideas shared by many—such as term limits for members of Congress and Supreme Court justices and limits on federal taxing and spending—that draw on the wisdom of James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and others. Mark R. Levin, nationally syndicated talk-radio host, host of LevinTV, chairman of Landmark Legal Foundation, and the host of the new Fox News show Life, Liberty, & Levin, is the author of five consecutive New York Times #1 bestsellers: Liberty and Tyranny, Plunder and Deceit, Rediscovering Americanism, Ameritopia, and The Liberty Amendments.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Invoking Article V of the Constitution, which sets out methods for amendments, Levin has proposed a number of changes to term limits, taxation, restoring states' power and more. For those who think that this kind of centralized power is dangerous and even tyrannical, Levin's amendments seek to address the power that the Federal government has arrogated unto itself, a power that never was the original intent of the Founding Fathers and which reduces individual liberty significantly. These ideas will be opposed by those who favor central planning and a very powerful federal government, who believe that a few should decide the fate of many, who like the current system and the way it's headed."
"Within the past year, I have listened as several people have contemplated the need to write a new US Constitution because our Federal government is completely out of control. Levin has masterfully found that the best solution to polishing up the Constitution and put the Federal government back in its box is actually within the Constitution itself: use the voice of the people in the several states to reign in the power that they have lost. I wish Mr. Levin would also tell you more about those Founders who were very critical of the US Constitution from the beginning and why they were critical."
"After being disgusted and disheartened with the direction that our country has been taking for quite some time; particularly during this current administration, Mark's outline for solutions has renewed my desire to keep up the fight."
We’ve spawned the thickest network of patronage and influence ever seen in any country, a crony capitalism in which business partners with government and transfers wealth from the poor to the rich. All such rules are a disaster, and should be replaced by a different set of laws that focus on crony capitalism and the nexus of legislators and lobbyists that prey on our economy. He is a frequent media guest and has appeared on Morning Joe, CNN, Rush Limbaugh, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, Newsmax, Radio France, the CBC, NPR, and many others.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Nevertheless, political corruption and cronyism are likely going to be permanent parts of the American system, for no matter what kinds of solutions are enacted, clever politicians, and the folks who profit from them, will always find fissures through which to sneak their programs."
"Frank Buckley brilliantly illuminates the tectonic shift that has changed our political conflict from “liberal versus conservative” to “corrupt (crony capitalism)” versus “virtue.” The inordinate rewards of the globalist economy have captured the governing elites of both Left and Right , whether they’re Obama/Clinton Democrats or Chamber of Commerce Republicans."
"One of the most incisive political observers around, F. H. Buckley has produced a work that drives straight to the heart of what makes our public institutions so dispiritingly corrupt."
"Buckley was a guest on my radio show on this subject of this book, which goes into more depth on the narrative of his last two books."
"For anyone who cares about corruption in American politics and thinks it one of the most pressing public issues of our time, Professor Buckley will teach you much that you did not know and, best of all, offer solutions."
"Comprehensive study of the issues and explanations of all aspects of each issue."
"Must reading for the present political moment."
"This book, ironically called the Republic of Virtue, which was a fine old epithet for the system our Founders set up, details the nature of the corruption that has overtaken our government, making it unresponsive to the needs of citizens, while allowing politicians to plunder the gargantuan state, with all of its moneyed tentacles in every part of our economy."
Pocket Edition of the original Constitution of the United States (with Index), and Declaration of Independence. Founding Fathers of the United States, also known as the Framers, Fathers of Our Country, or the Founders, are those political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence and/or the United States Constitution or otherwise participated in the American Revolution as leaders of the Patriots.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"For some reason, Amazon has applied the same set of comments to multiple versions of the Constitution, which makes it virtually impossible to determine which ones are worth buying - and reading. UPDATE: In a comment to this review, RedRocks explains that if you try to order the paperback version of this Penguin guide, you'll actually get the Skousen/LDS version instead."
"Large font easy to read."
"It also contains the Declaration of Independence, selections from the Federalist Papers, and about 95 pages of explanation of the history."
"Apparently, Amazon lumps together the reviews written for various print versions of the US Constitution. All print versions are not equal and many of the Amazon reviews do not apply to the print version I reviewed."
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Go share our Amendments to your foreign friend who says America is stupid."
"Of course the true beauty of this document is that the Founding Fathers knew it wasn't perfect and gave us the ability to amend and adapt it as times changed."
"What I like the most is being able to read this important document on my Kindle."
"It pains me greatly though that we have among us some sensationalizing, self-centered, self-indulgent, egotistical politicians who dare have the audacity to threaten to take away and eliminate even minute parts of these treasures because they do not fit in with their own ideologies."
Best Constitutions
This kindle Book version consists of : •The Constitution of the United States. •United States Declaration of Independence (1776). •Bill of Rights (1791). •Additional amendments to the United States Constitution. •Amendments to the US Constitution Ratified since 1795 More related Bonus works : •The Spirit of American Government. •The Fathers of the Constitution. •THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: ITS CONSTITUTION, TENDENCIES, AND DESTINY. Founding Fathers of the United States, also known as the Framers, Fathers of Our Country, or the Founders, are those political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence and/or the United States Constitution or otherwise participated in the American Revolution as leaders of the Patriots.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"For some reason, Amazon has applied the same set of comments to multiple versions of the Constitution, which makes it virtually impossible to determine which ones are worth buying - and reading. UPDATE: In a comment to this review, RedRocks explains that if you try to order the paperback version of this Penguin guide, you'll actually get the Skousen/LDS version instead."
"Large font easy to read."
"It also contains the Declaration of Independence, selections from the Federalist Papers, and about 95 pages of explanation of the history."
"Apparently, Amazon lumps together the reviews written for various print versions of the US Constitution. All print versions are not equal and many of the Amazon reviews do not apply to the print version I reviewed."
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Go share our Amendments to your foreign friend who says America is stupid."
"Of course the true beauty of this document is that the Founding Fathers knew it wasn't perfect and gave us the ability to amend and adapt it as times changed."
"What I like the most is being able to read this important document on my Kindle."
"It pains me greatly though that we have among us some sensationalizing, self-centered, self-indulgent, egotistical politicians who dare have the audacity to threaten to take away and eliminate even minute parts of these treasures because they do not fit in with their own ideologies."
Best Public Contract Law
CHARLES-LOUIS DE SECONDAT, BARON DE MONTESQUIEU (1689-1755), born in the South of France and often known simply as Montesquieu, was a political philosopher and social commentator known for his influential political views, especially for his "separation of power" theory, still used today in constitutions around the world.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"great book but disliked the format, too small therefore thick."
"This was a gift for a friend."
"everyone needs to read this book."
"This is one of the excellent resources on government that the framers of our constitution apparently read in their research which led to the checks and balances system of our constitutional republic."
"This book is a wide ranging view of the laws by which people have governed themselves spanning time from ancient Greece and Rome to the Enlightenment."
Best Political Corruption & Misconduct
The New York Times bestselling author of Stonewalled pulls back the curtain on the shady world of opposition research and reveals the dirty tricks those in power use to influence your opinions. Behind most major political stories in the modern era, there is an agenda; an effort by opposition researchers, spin doctors, and outside interests to destroy an idea or a person. Now, the hard-hitting investigative reporter shares her inside knowledge, revealing how the Smear takes shape and who its perpetrators are—including Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal and, most influential of all, "right-wing assassin turned left-wing assassin" ( National Review ) political operative David Brock and his Media Matters for America empire. Now hard-hitting investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson, the New York Times bestselling author of Stonewalled , takes you behind the scenes of the modern smear machine, exploring how operatives from corporations and both sides of the political aisle have manipulated a complicit mainstream media to make disinformation, rumor, and dirty tricks defining traits of our democracy. And she doesn’t just tell stories—she names names, sharing her deeply researched account of how smears take shape and who their perpetrators are—from Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal to liberal political operative David Brock, who, along with his expansive Media Matters for America empire, has been rewriting the rules of the smear game for decades while raking in millions of dollars in generous compensation. Dissecting the most divisive, partisan election in American history, she explores how both sides used every smear tactic as a political weapon, culminating in Donald Trump’s hard-fought victory, even as his detractors have continued their smears against him into the Oval Office.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The consumer of news is “pummeled by countless narratives—some based on grains of truth; others wholly invented for the audience.”. The author warns news consumers to be cautious even if all the media outlets are parroting the same line: “Today, if enough pundits, operatives, and media parrot the same narrative, it becomes incorporated into the fabric of the news as an accepted fact.”. And yet, smear campaigns are not new—they are as old as the Republic: “Our founding fathers knew very well the power of a sharp character assassination . “The Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination showed both sides that the best way to fight a smear might not be to take a defensive posture—but to mount an offensive countersmear.”. Attkisson is careful to define what she means by “smear.” It’s not the dissemination of falsehoods, so much as exaggeration: “Expert smear artists take a sprinkle of truth—in this case Imus’s objectionable comments—and pervert it into a weapon of mass destruction to advance a larger goal, often political or financial.” Smear campaigns take something that is true and "amplify a misdeed out of proportion.”. For me, one of the most fascinating sections was the explanation of a variation of smear called “Astroturf.” In this variation, the pros pretend they are ordinary folks: “Paid interests disguised as ordinary people troll assigned topics, news sites, reporters, blogs, and social media for the purpose of posting comments that spin and confuse.” The idea is to “give the impression there’s widespread support for or against an agenda when there’s not.”. Attkisson concludes with this sobering warning: “One thing you can count on is that most every image that crosses your path has been put there for a reason."
"It provides the insight and evidence that we've come to expect in her reporting, and opens the curtains of the smear industry so we might peer in and be prepared to spot when the smear is in play (hint...it's everywhere!)."
"This book documents political smear campaigns, behind-the-scenes coordination between the press and political campaigns and other special interests, and efforts by our own government to manipulate the news, influence public opinion, and punish whistleblowers. Although some events in the book go back to the 1990's, most of the information pertains to events of the last ten years, with the emphasis on the 2016 presidential campaign and its aftermath. Worst of all, our own government seems to be an active player in much of this. Many op-eds that you read on the editorial page are not written by the person whose byline appears beneath them, but by activists working for political campaigns, corporations, and special-interest groups. The Obama Department of Justice and other Obama agencies targeted reporters, stonewalled investigations, and maintained behind-the-scenes relationships with special interests."
Best Wisconsin Travel Guides
Chronicling the Brewers from the Suds Series of 1982 to the 2011 National League Central title and from Bambi's Bombers of the late '70s to Harvey's Wallbangers of the early '80s, Bill Schroeder, a longtime Brewers color commentator and former Brewers catcher, provides insight into the Brewers inner sanctum as only he can. Olson grew up in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he spent a semester on the men’s basketball team “before they got good.” Bill Schroeder is the color commentator for the Milwaukee Brewers, a position he has held since 1995. Born in Baltimore and raised in Princeton, New Jersey, Schroeder graduated from West Windsor Plainsboro High School, where he earned All-State honors his junior and senior years.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In If These Walls Could Talk Bill Schroeder and Drew Olson provide a comprehensive look at the Milwaukee Brewers, paying tribute to the great players like Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, reliving memorable moments on the diamond, sharing a smattering of tales, most only mildly amusing, giving credit to behind the scenes staffers like the director of clubhouse operations and the director of team travel, and reflecting on the challenges of broadcasting a game."
"The book also seems to end abruptly as well."
"Highly recommend picking up a copy and reading and even perhaps rereading just before the start of the baseball season or any time the reader requires a baseball "fix!""
"If you are a Milw Brewer fan, you need to read this book."
"Enjoyed thoroughly."
"Bill Schroeder has been with the Brewers for a long time now as a player and then an announcer."
"My husband is a huge Brewers fan and, of course, anybody from Wisconsin loves Bob Uecker."
"If you like the Brewers you will enjoy this book."
Best Children's Law & Crime Books
Adapted from Bill O'Reilly's best-selling historical thriller Killing Kennedy , with an unforgettable cast of characters, page-turning action, and art on every spread, Kennedy's Last Days is history that reads like a thriller. O'Reilly discusses both men's personal lives but omits details of Kennedy's sexual escapades and Oswald's marriage found in the adult version. (Candlewick, 1997) offer similar, detailed accounts of the assassination, but readers will find O'Reilly's readable style and juxtaposition of Kennedy's and Oswald's lives to be appealing.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Not too bad but being an assassination buff and having read hundreds of books on it this was mediocre."
"Christmas gift, sure he will love it!!"
"Excellent book for children and seniors who have trouble reading."
"Came in perfect condition."
"Great book!"
Best Madison Wisconsin Travel Books
Presented with modern punctuation and spelling, judicious cuts, and helpful notes–plus fascinating background information on every delegate and an overview of the tumultuous times–here is the great drama of how the Constitution came to be, from the opening statements to the final votes. In 1787, the fledgling American nation was in the throes of a serious economic depression, at least partly because the Articles of Confederation were too weak to make a stable republic.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"You like to be informed and learn what or the way it was, the intent, read this book."
"At 77years of age and having served on a local level in government I never imagined I too was following the rules they formulated to carry out such a fete."
"This incredible document enriched, deepened, and expanded my understanding of the constitution."
"I read this book from beginning to end."
"This book gave me a better understanding of the constitutional convention."
"Good supplemental information for those interested in going deeper into the Constitution."
"This digital version skipped so many pages!"
Best Comparative Politics
Otherwise, how to explain why Botswana has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world, while other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Sierra Leone, are mired in poverty and violence? Sadly, the people of the north have endured decades of famine, political repression, and very different economic institutions—with no end in sight. Based on fifteen years of original research Acemoglu and Robinson marshall extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, medieval Venice, the Soviet Union, Latin America, England, Europe, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today, including: Are we moving from a virtuous circle in which efforts by elites to aggrandize power are resisted to a vicious one that enriches and empowers a small minority? “For economics and political-science students, surely, but also for the general reader who will appreciate how gracefully the authors wear their erudition.” — Kirkus Reviews “Provocative stuff; backed by lots of brain power.” — Library Journal “This is an intellectually rich book that develops an important thesis with verve. large and ambitious new book.” — The Daily “ Why Nations Fail is a splendid piece of scholarship and a showcase of economic rigor.” —The Wall Street Journal "Ranging from imperial Rome to modern Botswana, this book will change the way people think about the wealth and poverty of nations...as ambitious as Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel ." A wonderfully readable mix of history, political science, and economics, this book will change the way we think about economic development. "Some time ago a little-known Scottish philosopher wrote a book on what makes nations succeed and what makes them fail. The Wealth of Nations is still being read today. “This fascinating and readable book centers on the complex joint evolution of political and economic institutions, in good directions and bad. Acemoglu and Robinson provide an enormous range of historical examples to show how such shifts can tilt toward favorable institutions, progressive innovation and economic success or toward repressive institutions and eventual decay or stagnation. Written with a deep knowledge of economics and political history, this is perhaps the most powerful statement made to date that ‘institutions matter.’ A provocative, instructive, yet thoroughly enthralling book.” —Joel Mokyr, Robert H. Strotz Professor of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Economics and History, Northwestern University. “This important and insightful book, packed with historical examples, makes the case that inclusive political institutions in support of inclusive economic institutions is key to sustained prosperity. This is important analysis not to be missed.” —Peter Diamond, Nobel Laureate in Economics “Acemoglu and Robinson have made an important contribution to the debate as to why similar-looking nations differ so greatly in their economic and political development. The openness of a society, its willingness to permit creative destruction, and the rule of appear to be decisive for economic development.” —Kenneth Arrow, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 1972 “Acemoglu and Robinson—two of the world's leading experts on development—reveal why it is not geography, disease, or culture which explains why some nations are rich and some poor, but rather a matter of institutions and politics. “Some time ago a little known Scottish philosopher wrote a book on what makes nations succeed and what makes them fail. The Wealth of Nations is still being read today. Two centuries from now our great-great-…-great grandchildren will be, similarly, reading Why Nations Fail .” —George Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2001 “In this stunningly wide ranging book Acemoglu and Robinson ask a simple but vital question, why do some nations become rich and others remain poor? This book is a must read at a moment where governments right across the western world must come up with the political will to deal with a debt crisis of unusual proportions.” —Steve Pincus, Bradford Durfee Professor of History and International and Area Studies, Yale University “The authors convincingly show that countries escape poverty only when they have appropriate economic institutions, especially private property and competition. More originally, they argue countries are more likely to develop the right institutions when they have an open pluralistic political system with competition for political office, a widespread electorate, and openness to new political leaders. This intimate connection between political and economic institutions is the heart of their major contribution, and has resulted in a study of great vitality on one of the crucial questions in economics and political economy.” — Gary S. Becker, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 1992 “This not only a fascinating and interesting book: it is a really important one. The highly original research that Professors Acemoglu and Robinson have done, and continue to do, on how economic forces, politics and policy choices evolve together and constrain each other, and how institutions affect that evolution, is essential to understanding the successes and failures of societies and nations.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"They commence, like medical researchers do when they hope to minimize the number of variables, by examining “twins.” In the author’s case the “twins” are the cities of Nogales, immediately adjacent, in Arizona, and in Sonora. His outlook was rigid: if he was “sharing” the profits with the workers, he was a loser, and the thought that he might have a slightly smaller percentage of a much bigger pie never entered his mind. I also found the authors description of how Venice turned into a “museum” to be one of their most concrete examples, in terms of identifying the steps taken by the elites to protect their interests, and eliminate the “profit sharing” with the masses. But the authors seem to have taken this concept to the extreme, juxtaposing wildly disparate situations, and providing no “connective tissue.” For example, chapter 6 contained 10th-12th Century Venice, the Roman Empire, and Axum, in Ethiopia, without any meaningful comparisons. Thus, we are treated to a catalog of Napoleon’s military successes, the number of tons of gunpowder the British sold between 1750 and 1807, and Roosevelt’s efforts to pack the Supreme Court. There was Kapuscinski’s classic account of the fall of Haile Selassie, The Emperor: Downfall of an Autocrat but I was astonished to find missing Gunnar Myrdal’s equally classic inquiry into the poverty of nations Asian Drama, An Inquiry Into The Poverty OF Nations Volumes I, II and III (Volumes I, II and III)It is a rich book, which covers a vast swath of human history."
"I don’t think that the key argument about the book should be whether it is right or wrong, but rather, is their concept is a useful tool in understanding wealth and poverty? (A slightly sharper question might be, “how good is it as a predictive tool?”) As a non-specialist I must simply accept critical arguments that some of the history is a bit inaccurate, that some of the examples are oversimplifications and that some of their comparisons of countries are a bit skewed one way or another or ignore counter-examples."
"I would also question whether a government that is one party cannot be pluralistic if that one party encompasses many of the rules of what we deem democracy (anyone can join the party, the leaders are chosen by party members not previous leaders. internal scandals can move a group from power within the party, within the party disagreement is allowed on policy, the leader are criticized for enriching themselves at public expense, anti corruption has true support, ...). Those who rant against the 1% elite in america can see things to support and also disagree with on how to cope with this unequal wealth problem."
Best Political Reference
The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise attributed to Sun Tzu a high-ranking military general, strategist and tactician, and it was believed to have been compiled during the late Spring and Autumn period or early Warring States period.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I want to tell future readers of this book in this way. I read it first when I was 14 or 15."
"The annotations are a little dry and make the reading disjointed at times, but overall I was satisfied."
"I know that a lot of very powerful people have read this book and taken away strategies for their business or military careers."
"Book is set of precepts."
"I strongly recommend this book, especially for teens and young adults."
"Anyone who takes seriously their Self Defense or Martial Arts training absolutely needs to read this material."
"I know there is much discussion over the issue of the reality of SunTzu as an individual but that does not negate the insight this book provides."
"Interesting book translated from the original Chinese text written by a great general (or so it appears)."
Best History & Theory of Politics
Relive the extraordinary Presidency of Barack Obama through White House photographer Pete Souza's behind-the-scenes images and stories in this #1 New York Times bestseller--with a foreword from the President himself. During Barack Obama's two terms, Pete Souza was with the President during more crucial moments than anyone else--and he photographed them all. "The book, which distills the 1.9 million photographs that Souza took of Obama's eight years in the White House down to about 300 images, it as once warm and nostalgic, worshipful and respectful, sad and wistful-in a sense, not so different from the framed JFK portraits that everyday Americans hung in living rooms, right through the Nixon administration. "Here are the qualities that radiate from these photos of the former President and his family, all taken by Souza during his eight years as official White House photographer: intelligence, kindness, warmth, integrity. "Souza, chief official White House photographer for Obama's two terms, was on hand for history--documenting our first black president, and a pretty photogenic one at that. Souza's book, an instant best seller, includes many iconic images we've seen before, but its most poignant moments are the least public--like one of the president and his daughters frolicking in the snow at the White House. "The 300 photographs in the book are a remarkable account of President Obama's eight years in the White House, from events of historic significance to quiet moments with his wife and daughters and the family dogs.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'd like to say up front here that this is one of those reviews where I am struggling so hard to put thoughts into words, because of how many thoughts I have, and how difficult it is for me to express them. He was funny and personable, and every time I heard him speak I felt suddenly prouder and more patriotic. Because all the rest of that time I wasted being blind and hateful. I'm not really the kind that normally runs off to scrounge around for books they can't afford, but this is the second photography book of the Obamas I've done so for, and it captured my heart as much the second time, as it did the first. UPDATE: Thanks to so many of the kind, heartwarming offers, I have received a copy of this book."
"Well, I guess it is the idea of the unconditional love that I have personally felt by dogs.....and the fact that it least in my mind that is what our former President and First Lady gave us for 8 years. I pray that someday Obama haters or hopefully their children will view the pictures in this “must have” Obama memorabilia and appreciate not only the historical significance of this man to US and world history but also feel his unconditional love of America ; its history, culture and people in every page."
"Obama wasn't perfect, but seeing his two-term administration, not riddled by scandal or buffoonery, captured in this historic volume brought tears to my eyes."
"As I thumb through the pages, I realize how much of my vision of President Obama was formed by the photographs of special moments captured by Souza."
"), snuggling with and hugging his beautiful daughters, hugging basketball legend Bill Russell and Civil Rights legend John Lewis, racing with his dog, and the candid photos that show the deep bond with his beautiful, elegant wife. It's also a sublime photobook, beautifully bound, gorgeously printed."
"In capturing the defining moments of the Obama presidency, Mr. Souza has given the common citizen a personal, vulnerable look into the remarkable 8-year tenure of the 44th president."