I enjoyed Empire of Debt so much that I immediately ordered Mobs, Messiahs and Markets, as well as Financial Reckoning Day. All were exceptional reads! The authors clearly take Thomas Jefferson at his word - a nation is better off avoiding entangling alliances. The authors mock history's "super heroes" for their careless and limitless meddling, and praise the do-nothings of major politics. The obvious benefit to do-nothings is that the citizens remain free to pursue their own happiness, which is what good governance is all about after all. The authors' perspective is engaging. This book, plus their others, are excellent reads, especially for those who may be curious as to how a free, Libertarian USA might function today. Also recommended are Nathan Lewis's Gold: The Once and Future Money, Andrew Napolitano's Constitutional Exile, and Peter Schiff's Crash Proof 2.0.
The several States of America were founded on much freer principles than are in operation today. Another read, The Human Rights Reader edited by Walter Laqueur includes excerpts from John Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire on the "purpose of instituting a government being to secure the natural rights of people who organize into a society". We all have a natural right to earn a living to the best of our individual ability. Levying a tax on individual labor was never part of the plan. If that sounds extremist, then you've been caught up with anti-American principles. Our current government has gone beyond securing our natural rights and into invading them.
The authors inject humor into their writing - the equivalent of a spoonful of sugar - to help the ugly truth sink in. But the book is far from despairing. For open minds, it is a delightful paradigm shift.
