Theodore and Woodrow: How Two American Presidents Destroyed Constitutional Freedom – Bargain Price Author: Visit Amazon's Andrew P. Napolitano Page | Language: English | ISBN:
B00F6IND00 | Format: EPUB
Theodore and Woodrow: How Two American Presidents Destroyed Constitutional Freedom – Bargain Price Description
About the Author
Andrew P. Napolitano is Senior Judicial Analyst for Fox News Channel and the author of
Constitutional Chaos,
The Constitution in Exile,
A Nation of Sheep, Dred Scott's Revenge, and
Lies the Government Told You. - Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Thomas Nelson (November 13, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1595553517
- ASIN: B00F6IND00
- Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
- Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
I had high hopes for this book but found it even more interesting and engaging than I thought I would. I have always liked Judge Napolitano, yet have thought some of his earlier writing a bit dry. This one really does a good job focusing on the roots of the Progressive Era, and the two larger than life presidents who embodied it. As he says so clearly in the final chapter;
"Jefferson believed that in the long arc of history, we can see repeated over and over again the struggle for individual freedom against a monopoly of force. The monopoly of force has killed, stolen, lied, and cheated its way into power and wealth. The first two decades of the twentieth-century America - an era arguably dominated by Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson - are not an exception to Jefferson's conclusion: rather, they are a heightened paradigm of it. In those twenty or so years the role of the federal government changed so radically that it would never be the same again." (pg. 248)
Besides providing fascinating details about these oddly juxtaposed yet soul-mate-like troubled men, I especially liked how Judge N. ties the Constitutional amendments of the time together. The only one that was any good, and worth changing the Constitution for was the 19th (women's vote). All the others have damaged the Constitution beyond recognition, yet are still in place today, except for the short live 18th (alcohol prohibition). I had never before realized how destructive the 17th was (Senators selected by popular vote and not by State appointment), and how fundamental the old arrangement was to the balance of powers established by the original framers.
Before the 16th amendment (legalizing income tax) the federal government got 40% of its revenue from taxes on alcohol.
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