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Some Other Books I Read in 2009
January 15, 2010
One of the best bits of advice I got when I was younger was that, “Readers are leaders, and leaders are readers.” I send the AM staff a book a quarter that I feel will help them become better at what they do.
1. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism by Robert Murphy. A quick and easy read, but with some nice “sound bites” on the free market system. Murphy’s book is good for those that aren’t going to dig into Hayek, Mises, etc., but still want to have a better idea of what the free market is all about. Took me maybe a few days to read thru it.
2. The Myth of the Robber Barons by Burton Fulsom. Not a long book, but an interesting look into the misconceptions about the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers of this world. Fulsom really lays out the difference between political entrepreneurs, or crony capitalists, and the real market entrepreneurs. The book really does give a better appreciation for what the real free market entrepreneurs accomplished, and how they made people’s lives better.
3. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I read Atlas Shrugged in 2008, and of the two, Atlas is my favorite. While I dismiss Rand’s objectivism, I think both are worthwhile reads.
4. Free to Choose by Milton and Rose Friedman. A classic that everyone interested in knowing more about the free market should read. Took me awhile to get into it, but once I did, flew through it.
There were others I read, like Founding Characters, which explores the lives of some of the key Founders, that I would also recommend.
“The 5000 Year Leap, ” by W. Cleon Skousen with forward by Glenn Beck. A one source bokk on the principles developed by the Founding Fathers. Also includes the US Consstitution, The Declaration of Independence, The Federalist Papers, and Demoracy in America.
I apologize for the typing errors in my previous post. No excuse. One newly published book that all should read is :
In Search of Self Governance, a new book by Scott Rasmussen, takes a look at our nation’s broken political system. He writes, “Years of public opinion polls have shown a growing disconnect between the American people and the nation’s political leaders. Rasmussen’s conclusion: Americans don’t want to be governed from the left, the right or the center. They want to govern themselves. The American desire for – and attachment to – self-governance runs deep. It is one of our nation’s cherished core values and an important part of our cultural DNA. And right now, it needs to be saved.
Self-governance is about far more than politics and government… It requires a lot of the American people, and it has nothing to do with the petty partisan games played by Republicans and Democrats. Unfortunately, even after more than 200 years of success, there is an urgent need to defend this most basic of American values.”
Amen