Libertarian Nation

2008 is a presidential election year. And Most Americans will be complaining--again--about similarities between the major candidates and the marginality of the minor ones. This book helps readers understand why they're so frustrated by their lack of choices in American politics today. The problem is simple: Career politicians in the major U.S. parties all share the same philosophy about the role of government in people's lives. They're statists--activists who believe that government should control how its citizens live. So, the common debates--Liberal vs. Conservative, Republican vs. Democrat--are just a diversion. They don't matter because the people in the debates all share the same presumptions about what to do and how to do it. Their differences are largely trivial points of personal style. A growing number of Americans sense the futility of the common debate. They sense that big issues--terrorism, economic stability, education, the effects of technology, child care and elder care--aren't actually being addressed. And they're right. Establishment politicians would rather distract them with petty controversies--abortion, gay marriage, social justice and sex. But the real debate is between the statists and those who believe in individual liberty. America's founders believed in a republic formed by individuals who wanted to keep their individuality--and only looked for government to manage small points of interaction between people. They didn't believe in a government that would take care of citizens...and thus turn them into dependents. And slaves. This book gives readers the tools to reframe the debate in America. And, in the shadows of Islamic terrorism and a bankrupt socialwelfare system, Americans need to reframe their debate.