Firefighting: The Financial Crisis and Its Lessons Paperback – Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke, Tim Geithner

A review and explanation of the decisions made and success of the radical if unpopular dramatic decisions made.  Concern that the tools at the disposal of the Fed and others have been clawed back and makes us vulnerable to future crashes.  The last time they had to get authority from a divided Congress and got the cooperation of both Bush and Obama.  Such bipartisan consensus, difficult then, seems almost impossible now.

Why We Need the Electoral College by Tara Ross

A review of the history of our electoral process and the greater importance of the electoral college today when the country is much larger and sectional differences must still be accommodated.  Founders considered the Electoral College their crowning achievement of the Constitutional Convention.  The divisions by state make the system less corruptible;  the hanging chad problem in Florida was limited to one area of one state.  The system requires a candidate to appeal to a broad range of interests, not just the interests of a small if heavily populated area.

Conservative Sensibility by George Will

Will’s political magnum opus.  An important and unsurprisingly well written analysis of the roots of the Constitution and the inherent conflict with the ideologies expressed in Progressivism.  Most important read of the year and will remain important for years to come.

The Smallest Minority by Kevin Williamson

My favorite political writer’s second book.  An eloquent attack on the ochlocracy, the mob politics, on display in the streets and on social media, and the subsequent illiberal intolerance of dissent, individual rights, and due process.

Heaven on Earth: The Rise, Fall, and Afterlife of Socialism by Joshua Muravchik

A compelling history of socialist movements from the French Revolution and New Harmony in the United States to Lenin and Marx, Soviet Union and China, Europe, Africa and Israeli Kibbutzes.  Why they either failed or morphed into something else and why the appeal remains.

 

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