BeaconRay's Bookstore Great Politics and History Shelf

Alexis de Tocqueville's

Democracy in America is the classic treatise on the American way of life which Tocqueville wrote as a result of his visit (as a young french nobleman and astute political scientist) to America. In the book he discusses the advantages and dangers of the majority rule which he thought could be as tyrannical as the rule of the aristocracy. So brilliant, penetrating, and timeless are his comments and criticisms on the democracy he witnessed, that they have vital meaning today for all who are interested in democracy, or as in the words of Winston Churchill, "The worst form of government, besides all others."

The authors and supporters of the Constitution of 1787 foresaw that a clear-cut vote against it in the State ratifying conventions would destroy at birth the young nation's most important experiment in popular government. A particular point of concern was the growing State of New York, whose governor, George Clinton, was a formidable opponent of the proposed charter.

Alexander Hamilton, in an energetic effort to win over his home State, began a series of essays explaining and defending the Consitution. These were published in New York City Newspapers under the pseudonym Publius. Hamilton was aided by contributions from two other advocates of a new and energetic national governement, James Madison and John Jay. The efforts of these three men resulted in The Federalist Papers-- an authoritative analysis of the Constitution of the United States and an enduring classic of political philosophy that takes its place in history beside the Constitution itself. Thank you Mr. Hamilton! The words you set down as Publius exist today as the blueprint for all governments in the free world!

Newt Gingrich's

Newt on Core Values: An America that. . .insists its children learn the core values of American civilization. . .will find each challenge more invigorating than the last. . .Until we reestablish a legitimate moral-cultural standard, our civilization is at risk.

On Confidence Among The Young: When more people under the age of thirty believe in UFOs than beleive that their Social Security Pensions will be waiting for them when they retire, you know we are ready for a change in course.

On Government Bureaucracy: America is too big, too diverse, and too free to be run by bureaucrats sitting in office buildings in one city. We must replace our centralized, micro-managed, Washington-based bureaucracy with a dramatically decentralized system more appropriate to a continentwide country.

On Balancing the Budget: No civilization can survive if parents and grandparents cheat their children by leaving them crushed by debt. We have a moral obligation to balance the budget now.

Rush Limbaugh's

RELIGION AND AMERICA: THEY DO GO TOGETHER: "America was founded as a Judeo-Christian country. Those of you who have been to Washington D.C. and have toured the monuments, such as the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, know the inscriptions have been carved in stone. You cannot read one without finding the word God in it somewhere. But you wouldn't learn any of this by reading most of the textbooks American schoolchildren read today. . .Countries such as Germany and Sweden have become so secularized that the churches survive only with governemnt subsidies. Even in many Catholic countries, a majority of the people indicate they have no great faith in God. . .America is different. Here, most believe a higher authority rules their lives, they attend church, and they raise their children in religious households. . .But our intellectual and political elites are often either hostile or ambivalent toward religion."-- Rush in The Way Things Ought to Be.

DEMONSTRATING ABSURDITY BY BEING ABSURD: "This is my favorite way of poking fun at liberal icons and their insane statements. By ridiculing them and exaggerating my response, I point out the utter fatuosness of the liberal philosophy."-- The master of modern satire.

Rush Limbaugh's

RUSH ON FAMILY VALUES: "We must become a people who beleive in something-- a people of conviction. Despite the constant sermonizing by the media, Republicans did not lose the presidency beacause they were "co-opted by the right wing" on values. The case on values was simply not made effectively and persuasively. Few Americans would disagree that some of the most serious problems facing America today-- crime, drug abuse, AIDS, teenage pregnancy, child abuse, and so on-- all result from a breakdown of values. But don't get hung up on labels here. Call it family values, traditional values, or whatever you want; what is important is that conservatives capitalize on this opportunity for them to explain that traditional functional values are what make a society work-- what hold it together."

For someone who claimed he had been educated by "littles"-- a little now and a little then-- Honest Abe displayed a remarkable facility in his use of the written word. The simple yet memorable eloquence of his speeches, proclamations and personal correspondence is recored here in a represntative collection of 16 documents. One of his more famous speeches is printed below. Here Lincoln embodies Shakepeare's observation, "Brevity is the soul of wit."