Evaluating Books: What Would Thomas Jefferson Think about This?: Guidelines for Selecting Books Consistent with the Principles of Americ

First of all, I have read most of Richard Maybury's books and find them very valuable and enlightening. "Whatever Happened to Justice," is an excellent eye opener on democracy verses liberty and common law verses political law. His books on the economy, "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy," "Personal Finance," (I haven't read the "Clipper Ship Strategy" as of yet) and his books on WWI and WWII are some of the best I have read, exposing the "other side of the stories." He really is an excellent writer in both bringing out significant points relatively unknown by the majority and doing so with lucid simplicity. I also enjoyed very much his book on Rome and imperialistic influences on Western civilization and the 1000 year war of the Middle East. His book entitled, "Are you a Liberal, a Conservative or Confused," is also excellent. And so I recommend all his books, every one. And now this book on Thomas Jefferson. This is also an excellent book and I think it's an accurate assessment on him and the founders and their political philosophy in forming the United States of America. I do not disagree here on their original intentions. However I am not an "enemy of Statism," as Jefferson and other founding fathers were. I do believe that such philosophy was of the times and must be contrasted in a country with a much higher population and secondly, subsequent the advent of the "corporation." So I am speaking here as a "statist," and a liberal one at that, but not a statist without compromises depending on the nature of the particular issue. Now I admire both Maybury and this book, despite my personal differences. And I say this because I am rather convinced that BOTH the extreme statist views and the extreme nonstatist views are dangerous political ideologies when carried out. Statism endorses large government which is deadly with burdens on free trade that destroy both the economy and the freedom and liberty rights of the individual, while nonstatism produces a "Wild West" free society with entrepreneur and corporate abuses that are abusively horrific. However, statism in moderation both restrains the abuse of liberty of the entrepreneur and corporation from severe and ugly domination and yet allow them the liberty and freedom of free trade (within limits - there must be boundaries!), ownership and rewards for hard work. Nonstatism in the extreme is privatization and this can be ugly in its radical form. I have a book at home on early America with a photo of a 19th century American factory, young children all squatting, sorting grains with a proud and assuming entrepreneur standing over them boldly and blatantly stating "As soon as their old enough to stand, they are ready to work," Another picture is of a small boy, face covered in dirt and drained from a hard days (12, 14, 18 hours work?). Thank God for statism and child labor laws! Thank the creator, or the higher wisdom or the insight of the Common Law to environmental protection, child labor p

I have continued to read Mr. Maybury's books and the first five have filled me with knowledge and wonder at how uninformed I have been in the past about simple and basic issues that touch, influence and determine the coarse of a persons life each and evey day. I have learned a great deal from his obvious intellectual prowess and his all encompassing views on many subjects and how they mesh together to form, affect and manipulate this world we live in. One gets a sense of awe at how little they can trust those in power but how immensly important is it is that those without it stick together and ensure we be ever vigilante in our observations of elected officials. Those people we used to call public servants but who hav become nothing but self-indulgent life lont politicians. In other words they have become exactly what our Constitution and Bill of Rights were designed to prevent. In this book, "What Would Thomas Jefferson Think About This?" I have found yet another source of knowledge that I must thank Uncle Eric for. Yet after reading the great book "John Adams." I do not find that I have the awe and inspiration that allows me to make Jefferson my number one hero. Yes, he is a great man and I believe he was one of the greatest founders, however I find that I still place him behing George Washington and Adams on that account. It is my philosophy just like it was Reverend Johathan Mayhew's and John Adam's that "The people, are required to obey their government's law only when it is in agreement with Higher Law. And if the government violates that charge, it is our duty, and we are bound the fight it with every resourse at our disposal."In a related topic Mayhew was a true Reverend, and it is unfortunate that the term has been turned into such a basphemous title today for those who use and claim the name are anything but Reverend. In any case this 6th book in Mr. Maybury's series is yet another collectors item and gives the reader a sound foundation by which to judge the literature they choose to absorb and contemplate in creating their own ideological awareness and positions of items of critical importance to our country and our people.

I have continued to read Mr. Maybury's books and the first five have filled me with knowledge and wonder at how uninformed I have been in the past about simple and basic issues that touch, influence and determine the coarse of a persons life each and evey day. I have learned a great deal from his obvious intellectual prowess and his all encompassing views on many subjects and how they mesh together to form, affect and manipulate this world we live in. One gets a sense of awe at how little they can trust those in power but how immensly important is it is that those without it stick together and ensure we be ever vigilante in our observations of elected officials. Those people we used to call public servants but who hav become nothing but self-indulgent life lont politicians. In other words they have become exactly what our Constitution and Bill of Rights were designed to prevent. In this book, "What Would Thomas Jefferson Think About This?" I have found yet another source of knowledge that I must thank Uncle Eric for. Yet after reading the great book "John Adams." I do not find that I have the awe and inspiration that allows me to make Jefferson my number one hero. Yes, he is a great man and I believe he was one of the greatest founders, however I find that I still place him behind George Washington and Adams on that account. It is my philosophy just like it was Reverend Johathan Mayhew's and John Adam's that "The people, are required to obey their government's law only when it is in agreement with Higher Law. And if the government violates that charge, it is our duty, and we are bound the fight it with every resourse at our disposal."In a related topic Mayhew was a true Reverend, and it is unfortunate that the term has been turned into such a basphemous title today for those who use and claim the name are anything but Reverend. In any case this 6th book in Mr. Maybury's series is yet another collectors item and gives the reader a sound foundation by which to judge the literature they choose to obsorb and contemplate in creating their own ideological awareness and positions of items of critical importance to our country and our people.