Review of my book "The System of Liberty"


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Congratulations George. Your book is still on the top of my desk and I am ready for another by the same world, famous author.

A word of caution to others who travel to his link. I tried to snip a few sentences from the review and my computer got hung up when I went to “paste” with an hour glass symbol hanging over my “Word” page. I just tried again and it worked. I picked this snippet at random, a portion away from any pictures in my “cut,” but it is still interesting.

In his review Henry Clark wrote:

One reason for the author’s pessimistic diagnosis is hinted at in his discussion of the right of revolution. Though Hume and Smith thought it difficult to define that right with precision, the latter suggested a sort of one/third rule of thumb concerning tax levels—that is, a government that appropriates as much as one/third of its people’s wealth would clearly be abusive enough to invite resistance. Why one/third? Because that was a customary portion (according to Herbert Spencer) for the feudal lord to extract from his serf. (129-30) Most modern governments, of course, claim that much or more in tax revenue.

end quote

Thanks, George. I hope you expand on this idea in your next book. With the revolt and Russian invasion in the Ukraine the question, “When is it morally right for a people to revolt,” is timely. Many Americans are fed up too and are voting with their feet. Many are moving to freer states like Texas. Hmmm? A tongue twister. From Tax-eous Illinois (where you live) or Maryland (where I live) to way less taxed Texas is how many miles?

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Congratulations George. Your book is still on the top of my desk and I am ready for another by the same world, famous author.

A word of caution to others who travel to his link. I tried to snip a few sentences from the review and my computer got hung up when I went to “paste” with an hour glass symbol hanging over my “Word” page. I just tried again and it worked. I picked this snippet at random, a portion away from any pictures in my “cut,” but it is still interesting.

In his review Henry Clark wrote:

One reason for the author’s pessimistic diagnosis is hinted at in his discussion of the right of revolution. Though Hume and Smith thought it difficult to define that right with precision, the latter suggested a sort of one/third rule of thumb concerning tax levels—that is, a government that appropriates as much as one/third of its people’s wealth would clearly be abusive enough to invite resistance. Why one/third? Because that was a customary portion (according to Herbert Spencer) for the feudal lord to extract from his serf. (129-30) Most modern governments, of course, claim that much or more in tax revenue.

end quote

Thanks, George. I hope you expand on this idea in your next book. With the revolt and Russian invasion in the Ukraine the question, “When is it morally right for a people to revolt,” is timely. Many Americans are fed up too and are voting with their feet. Many are moving to freer states like Texas. Hmmm? A tongue twister. From Tax-eous Illinois (where you live) or Maryland (where I live) to way less taxed Texas is how many miles?

Thanks, Peter.

I highlighted the entire text of the review and then cut and pasted it to a Word document. After that, if you specify something other than the original format when pasting, you can easily snip whatever you want.

Ghs

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Thanks George. I snipped again directly from the review anyway and it immediately translated into the type style Vollkorn, Gray-80%, so I will “select all” on my new document and change the type style to Comic Sans MS which is very easy to read.

The reviewer Henry Clark wrote:

These four themes, and others, make The System of Liberty a welcome contribution to the perennial discussion of that subject. Like all such books, this one has its limitations. It is not really a work of history, but a set of personally chosen episodes from that history.

end quote

Henry, (who probably won’t read this) that “selection,” linkage, and conceptualization is why I bought George’s book! George does much of the reading and work for us and we trust him to get it right since his first book. That equals more than 30 years of “getting” Ghs.

When is your next book coming out George?

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I have deleted all posts in this thread (including my own) that have anything to do with "Eva." I am not willing to allow my "corner" to be used by a crazy person. If "Eva" wishes to bare her ugly intellectual ass in public, that is her business, but she can do so on her own thread.

If anyone other than "Eva" wishes to comment on this controversy, I will not delete the posts. But I will immediately delete anything posted by "Eva."

Ghs

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George,

It's your corner and your prerogative.

You are the "government" in this corner.

(I know, I know, I just couldn't resist.)

:smile:

On a serious note, sorry this was a bother to you. Your work has been magnificent up to now and there is no reason you should have been interrupted by a loser like that.

Michael

No reason to be sorry. I am a big boy who, even at age 65, remains in control of his faculties -- or most of them, at any rate. If I get sucked into a pointless flamewar, I alone am to blame. I should know better by now, given all the flamewars I have been involved in over the years. They have a way of sneaking up on you. 8-)

Btw, in addition to my weekly Cato essays, I will be coediting (with Marilyn Moore) a series of "Readers" (i.e., anthologies) that will be published by Libertarianism.org. I am also writing a substantive introduction for each Reader, which will be available as printed books, downloads (I think), and on audio.

We have already signed contracts for the first six Readers. The first, which is nearly finished, is on Individualism. The next two will be on Herbert Spencer and "Critics of State Education." The last three have not been finalized yet.

Ghs

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Michael wrote to George:

On a serious note, sorry this was a bother to you. Your work has been magnificent up to now and there is no reason you should have been interrupted by a loser like that.

end quote

When I quote George’s writing I now usually do it on threads he is not visiting. That way he is not bothered by reading my applause or criticism, (which may not be the equal of his scholarly heights) rendering Ghs less productive.

George wrote:

We have already signed contracts for the first six Readers. The first, which is nearly finished, is on Individualism. The next two will be on Herbert Spencer and "Critics of State Education." The last three have not been finalized yet.

end quote

Bravo, Maestro! I do like to imagine George reading some things I write and honing his messages and books from it, but his response is not essential, (and his criticism of me rarely stops my insightful prose. Wow. George is the guv’mint on his thread! Joke within parenthesis).

Thanks to George and to Michael.

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Peter:

Cato has been very good about paying me enough to live on while permitting me to write about anything that interests me, with no interference whatsoever. That is pig heaven for me. I can be very productive when I don't have to worry about paying basic bills. Almost all my past problems with deadlines have been directly related to money. I have now written 118 substantive weekly essays without missing a single deadline -- not even when I was in the hospital for 10 days with a badly injured (and later infected) ankle.

Ghs

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George wrote:

I can be very productive when I don't have to worry about paying basic bills.

end quote

Thanks for your answer. And as I tell everyone, I hope you are getting SSI! Independent solvency is a gas, gas, gas. So far today, Saturday, I made the bed since I was the last one up, drunk coffee, ate raisin bran, then ate a sandwich with delicious Boar’s Head ham, gone onto the web and OL, jogged, showered, gone back onto OL, fed the cats, and I am now washing my own cloths, and just boiled seven eggs and I have put ice on them so they will be easy to peel later. I’ve been busy all day. Happy wife, happy life.

How did you get a badly injured (and later infected) ankle?

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Peter,

In January of last year, I slipped on black ice and fractured my right ankle in three places. My foot was twisted 35 degrees to the right, and the ankle bone protruded like a golf ball.

After an operation and five days in the hospital, a cast was put on. Then I developed a nasty infection. After another operation and another 5 days in the hospital, I had to make daily trips to the hospital for 3 months for direct infusions of antibiotics. All in all, not a fun time.

I still experience some pain in my foot, and it still doesn't look normal. But I can walk okay.

Ghs

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Peter,

In January of last year, I slipped on black ice and fractured my right ankle in three places. My foot was twisted 35 degrees to the right, and the ankle bone protruded like a golf ball.

After an operation and five days in the hospital, a cast was put on. Then I developed a nasty infection. After another operation and another 5 days in the hospital, I had to make daily trips to the hospital for 3 months for direct infusions of antibiotics. All in all, not a fun time.

I still experience some pain in my foot, and it still doesn't look normal. But I can walk okay.

Ghs

Hazoos Marimba! That is sad news. I hope that you are on the mend now. Did they mange to reset the ankle sufficiently that you can walk?

Ba'al Chatzaf

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