Must Read for the Weekend.

Common Sense: The Case Against An Out-Of-Control Government by Glenn Beck.

I heard about this book and given Glenn Beck's track record I decided it would be worth checking out. As most of you know Glenn Beck has a talk show on radio in the mornings and on Fox News in the evening. He has written several other books that you should check out.

Now, for those of you who watch or listen to Glenn Beck on a regular basis you will find the arguments brought forth in the first half of the book to be nothing new. The first hundred pages are a rehash of arguments he has made on his radio and television shows. He does, however, clear up some of the arguments by providing some good examples. For those of you who are not regulars to Mister Beck then the first half is definitely work looking at. There are some good arguments to be made.

The reason why I say that this is a must read is for the last sixty or so pages. Glenn Beck includes Thomas Paine's original "Common Sense." I remember reading Paine while in college and didn't give him much thought. Yet, after rereading this piece I found myself to be amazed at the arguments he brought forth in 1776 and how well they applied to government today. Honestly, its an amazing piece of work which should be closely looked at even today.

Overall, its an easy read and a very short book, but, it is very profound.

You can buy this book here.

Must Read for the Weekend.

Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning by Jonah Goldberg.

Honestly, this book might be a must read for two weekends. At times it can be a bit dense, but, there is an abundance of sound arguments to overcome this slight issue.

Jonah Goldberg has written for the likes of the Wall Street Journal and the Times of London and is currently a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.

The basic argument that Goldberg focuses on is that of "do liberals, or the left, also display fascistic tendencies?" The idea that conservatives are often labeled as "Fascists" and not the left is the impetus for the book. Goldberg argues that Fascism is not simply a left or right ideology, it is all encompassing. Modern day progressives are just as fascist as those on the far right.

The first half of the book focuses on the historical trends in history which have led to fascistic regimes. It explores times in which the American government has been or has put forth fascist programs. It then compares them to periods in time which led to the rise of Hitler and Mussolini. Overall, the first half of the book is amazing for anyone interested in political history.

The second half of the book takes a critical look of the modern day progressive movement. A whole chapter is dedicated to Hillary Clinton bashing (which isn't a bad thing). It serves as a warning for what can become if one follows "feel good politics." At times this half of the book can become a bit conservative, but, the overall message being put forth is worth thinking about. In the end, it is an eye-opening book written in an intelligent and often times witty manner.

You can buy this book here.

Must Read for the Weekend.

Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There Is Another Way For Africa by Dambisa Moyo.

I ran across this book in my local Barnes and Noble and suggested that my fiancée take a look at it. Her field of study is sociology and she focuses on development. After taking a brief look she walked up to the counter and purchased it immediately. She had it read in two days and then proceeded to hand it to me and told me that I had to read this book.

The book's author is Dambisa Moyo who was born in Lusaka, Zambia. When she was younger she chose to come to the United States for college. She studied at Harvard, where she got her Master's. From there she got her Ph.D in economics from Oxford. She worked for the World Bank and then Goldman Sach's.

The question Ms. Moyo raises is, "why is Africa, after over $1 trillion in aid, no better or even worse off than it was prior?" She does not stray away from the controversial argument that aid simply does not work and in fact makes Africa worse off. Instead of helping, it creates a society that becomes dependent on aid with no incentive to innovate. It also creates a society in which the government is rife with corruption. Essentially, aid does not work and it has been proven.

The first half of the book focuses on why aid fails; while the second half offers up possible solutions to the issues that currently face the continent of Africa. The only issue I had with this book was that these ideas are at times not fully developed and the author takes for granted that they will work. Overall, though this is a good read on a controversial subject.

You can buy this book here.