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"The government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." — Ronald Reagan
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book sources
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Laissez Faire Books
This libertarian site has a slew of lib-themed books on just about everything.
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social issues
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Healing Our World, by Mary Ruwart review by Adam Shahid
Healing Our World is a groundbreaking work by Dr. Mary J. Ruwart that specializes in introducing left-wing individuals to the principles of liberty and personal responsibility. It does an excellent job of framing today's issues in a way that shows how big government actually harms the very people it claims to help. Healing Our World shows that helping people through government is both uncompassionate AND counter productive. This book seems like magic. I've handed this book to some folks I know who were involved with the Green party, and they became libertarians after reading it. Also, this book isn't just for those who have a left-wing mindset. It's an excellent book for people who are not left-wing and want to have powerful arguments that convince left-wingers as to the merits of libertarianism using their own language.
The 1st edition of the book is available online through Dr. Ruwart's website.
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fiction
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Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson review by Robert Haler
The cyber novel with everything. Good guys, bad guys, technology of the near future, and an almost genuinely libertarian/capitalist society.
Half of the story happens inside the internet of the future - the Metaverse. The protagonist of the story is a guy named Hero Protagonist. He's a half black, half Japanese, katana-weilding hacker genious. He was one of the original founders of the Metaverse, but has mismanaged certain aspects of his life to the point that he lives in a 20x30 storage room at a former self-storage place converted to living quarters.
The world of the near future is kewl. Almost everything important happens in the Metaverse - where you see and interact with people from all over the planet as if you were in the same room via this ultra sophisticated version of the internet. Your apperance is whatever you want it to be - from an impeccably outfitted samuri warrior to a 6 ft. penis.
The plot is a sweeping saga of a boy and girl who save the world from the evil billionaire head of a giant religious cult hell-bent on world domination. Governments are fragmented. People live in walled "burbclaves". You can leave the jurisdiction of the United States, walk across the street, and enter the territory or Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong - without leaving what used to be southern California. The Mafia is just another business that sets up booths at the high school on career day. Pizzas are delivered in specially built vehicles called "Deliverators".
This book is fast-paced, totally entertaining, and genuinely funny. There are some technical holes here and there that will be noticed by true geeks. If you like cyber punk this is a MUST read.
The Diamond Age (or The Young Lady's Primer), by Neal Stephenson review by Robert Haler
It's 100 years in the future. The ideals of liberty, self-reliance, and how cool it is to have almost zero government have been extended to near their ultimate expression by ubiquitous nano technology. Everybody has a device that looks like a microwave oven that uses nano tech to assemble anything your heart desires – if you can afford a licensed design for the nanites to use as a pattern and you have enough "feed". The feed is a raw materials pipeline that supplies the matter used to produce your nano tech manufactured finished goods. The future equivalent of welfare cases have low capacity feeds provided by the local government, while the more industrious can materialize whatever they can get a blue print for.
While there are still different cultures and different forms of vestigial government, where and how you live is really a matter of choice. Western style systems of control can only exist by the consent of the governed. Central authority disappeared long ago when it lost the power to tax. Communications based on nano technology allowed information, and by extension, money to be moved around the world totally untraced. Without the power to steal, governments lost their grip.
The story is told through the adventures of a poor, abused girl who comes into possession of a magical book based on nano technology. The book teaches her not only academic subjects, but literally raises her – prepares her for life.
This novel gives us a glimpse into a very possible future. Like Snow Crash, it entertains and it philosophizes against the backdrop of technology and Stephenson's irreverent sense of humor. To paraphrase the old saying, sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. This book tells you about what it's like to live in a world that's half way there.
Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
(to come)
The Probability Broach, by L. Neil Smith
(to come)
The American Zone, by L. Neil Smith
(to come)
Anthem, by Ayn Rand
(to come)
The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
(to come)
Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand
(to come)
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