Other books that might interest you

• 

  First Inaugural Address

  Ronald Reagan

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  On January 20, 1981, Reagan began his first presidential inauguration address by thanking Carter for his “gracious cooperation in the transition process”. 
  Reagan notes “one of the worst sustained inflations in our national history. It distorts our economic decisions, penalizes thrift, and crushes the struggling young and the fixed-income elderly alike.” “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” 
  “For decades we have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our future and our children's future for the temporary convenience of the present.” “It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the Federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the States or to the people.” 
  “If we look to the answer as to why for so many years we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on Earth, it was because here in this land we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than has ever been done before.” “It is time to reawaken this industrial giant, to get government back within its means, and to lighten our punitive tax burden.” 
  “As for the enemies of freedom, … [w]e will maintain sufficient strength to prevail if need be, knowing that if we do so we have the best chance of never having to use that strength.” 
  “[T]ogether with God's help we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us. And after all, why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans. God bless you, and thank you. 
  aspenleafmedia.com

  Show book

• 

  Spies and Lies - How China's...

  Alex Joske

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Spies and Lies a groundbreaking exposé of elite influence operations by China's little-known Ministry of State Security. Revealing for the first time how the Chinese Communist Party has tasked its spies to deceive the world, it challenges the conventional account of China's past, present, and future. 
   
   
   
  Mere years ago, Western governments chose to cooperate with China in the hope that it would liberalize, setting aside concerns about human rights abuses, totalitarian ambitions, and espionage. But the axiom of China's 'peaceful rise' has been fundamentally challenged by the Chinese Communist Party's authoritarian behavior under Xi Jinping. How did we get it wrong for so long? 
   
   
   
  Spies and Lies pierces the Ministry of State Security's walls of secrecy and reveals how agents of the Chinese Communist Party have spent decades manipulating the West's attitudes—from an Australian prime minister to the US Congress, prominent think tanks, and the FBI—about China's rise. Through interviews with defectors and intelligence officers, classified Chinese intelligence documents, and original investigations, the book unmasks dozens of active Chinese intelligence officers along with global MSS fronts, including travel agencies, writers' associations, publishing houses, alumni associations, newspapers, a Buddhist temple, a record company, and charities.

  Show book

• 

  A Nation of Moochers - America's...

  Charles J. Sykes

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  We have experienced a shift in American character: we've become a nation of moochers. Increasingly dependent on the efforts of others over our own, Americans are free to freeload. From the corporate bailouts on Wall Street to the alarming increases in personal default and dependency, from questionable tax exemptions to enormous pension, healthcare, and other entitlement costs, the new moocher culture cuts across lines of class, race, and private and public sectors. And the millions that plan and behave sensibly, only to bail out the profligate? They're angry.Charles Sykes' argument is not against compassion or legitimate charity, but targets the new moocher culture, in which self-reliance and personal responsibility have given way to mass grasping after handouts. A Nation of Moochers is a persuasively argued and entertaining rallying cry for Americans who are tired of playing by the rules and paying for those who don't.

  Show book

• 

  The Channels of Student Activism...

  Amy J. Binder, Jeffrey L. Kidder

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  An eye-opening analysis of collegiate activism and its effects on the divisions in contemporary American politics.  
   
  The past six years have been marked by a contentious political atmosphere that has touched every arena of public life, including higher education. Though most college campuses are considered ideologically progressive, how can it be that the right has been so successful in mobilizing young people even in these environments? 
   
  As Amy J. Binder and Jeffrey L. Kidder show in this surprising analysis of the relationship between political activism on college campuses and the broader US political landscape, while liberal students often outnumber conservatives on college campuses, liberal campus organizing remains removed from national institutions that effectively engage students after graduation. And though they are usually in the minority, conservative student groups have strong ties to national right-leaning organizations, which provide funds and expertise, as well as job opportunities and avenues for involvement after graduation. Though the left is more prominent on campus, the right has built a much more effective system for mobilizing ongoing engagement. What’s more, the conservative college ecosystem has worked to increase the number of political provocations on campus and lower the public’s trust in higher education. 
    
  In analyzing collegiate activism from the left, right, and center, The Channels of Student Activism shows exactly how politically engaged college students are channeled into two distinct forms of mobilization and why that has profound consequences for the future of American politics. 

  Show book

• 

  Democratic Delusions - How the...

  Natalie Fenton

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  A free media is inextricably linked to a healthy democracy, but in many parts of the world liberal democracies are deemed to be dying or on the demise—a demise that many forms of media have enabled while heralding themselves as democracy's savior. The hollowing out of democracy in these ways has left many people questioning the value of (neo)liberal democratic societies. What can we do about it? 
   
      
    
  Democratic Delusions explores the potential of our media and tech systems to be democratic and contribute to a just and transformative democracy. This is only possible, Natalie Fenton argues, by first situating our political systems and mediated worlds within global capitalism. By interrogating different media and their relationship to seven key elements of democracy—power, participation, freedom, equality, public good, trust, and hope—the book asks: What is the response of society when the ability of news media to speak truth to power has been restricted by corporate logic? And, how do we tackle a deep-rooted market logic that shifts public debate towards private interest and marginalizes progressive perspectives? The book explores how these elements can be reimagined through newly conceived media and tech landscapes and, ultimately, what democracy might be in a future mediated world that places more power in the hands of more people.

  Show book

• 

  John Rawls - Justice Fairness...

  Hector Davidson

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  John Rawls, one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century, fundamentally reshaped the field of political philosophy with his groundbreaking work, A Theory of Justice (1971). His vision of "justice as fairness" offered a robust framework for understanding social cooperation and the principles that should govern a just society. By blending elements of social contract theory with contemporary concerns about inequality and human rights, Rawls addressed timeless questions about the nature of justice and the moral obligations of institutions.  
  Born on February 21, 1921, in Baltimore, Maryland, Rawls’ early life was marked by tragedy and intellectual rigor. He lost two brothers to illness at a young age, experiences that profoundly influenced his outlook on morality and the fragility of human life. Rawls attended Princeton University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy, and later completed his doctorate at Harvard University after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. These formative years shaped his commitment to exploring ethical frameworks that could withstand the complexities of a modern, pluralistic world.  
  Rawls’ magnum opus, A Theory of Justice, introduced several key concepts that would come to define his philosophy. Central to his work was the idea of the "original position," a hypothetical scenario in which individuals design the principles of justice behind a "veil of ignorance." This veil prevents individuals from knowing their social status, wealth, abilities, or personal biases, compelling them to choose rules that are fair and impartial. The result is a system that prioritizes equal basic liberties for all, coupled with the difference principle, which allows social and economic inequalities only if they benefit the least advantaged members of society. 

  Show book