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The Revolution: A Manifesto

by Ron Paul

4.26 · rating details · 2,064 ratings · 440 reviews

Available in paperback for the first time.

This Much Is True: You Have Been Lied To.

<UL type=disc>
<LI .5in? list tab-stops: lfo1; level1 l0 mso-list: center; TEXT-ALIGN: 0in; 0pt 1.5in 0in MARGIN:>The government is expanding.
<LI .5in? list tab-stops: lfo1; level1 l0 mso-list: center; TEXT-ALIGN: 0in; 0pt 1.5in 0in MARGIN:>Taxes are increasing.
<LI .5in...moreAvailable in paperback for the first time.

This Much Is True: You Have Been Lied To.

<UL type=disc>
<LI .5in? list tab-stops: lfo1; level1 l0 mso-list: center; TEXT-ALIGN: 0in; 0pt 1.5in 0in MARGIN:>The government is expanding.
<LI .5in? list tab-stops: lfo1; level1 l0 mso-list: center; TEXT-ALIGN: 0in; 0pt 1.5in 0in MARGIN:>Taxes are increasing.
<LI .5in? list tab-stops: lfo1; level1 l0 mso-list: center; TEXT-ALIGN: 0in; 0pt 1.5in 0in MARGIN:>More senseless wars are being planned.
<LI .5in? list tab-stops: lfo1; level1 l0 mso-list: center; TEXT-ALIGN: 0in; 0pt 1.5in 0in MARGIN:>Inflation is ballooning.
<LI .5in? list tab-stops: lfo1; level1 l0 mso-list: center; TEXT-ALIGN: 0in; 0pt 1.5in 0in MARGIN:>Our basic freedoms are disappearing.</LI></UL>
The Founding Fathers didn't want any of this. In fact, they said so quite clearly in the Constitution of the <ST1:PLACE w:st="on"><ST1:COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on">United States of America</ST1:COUNTRY-REGION></ST1:PLACE>. Unfortunately, that beautiful, ingenious, and revolutionary document is being ignored more and more in <ST1:STATE w:st="on"><ST1:PLACE w:st="on">Washington</ST1:PLACE></ST1:STATE>. If we are to enjoy peace, freedom, and prosperity once again, we absolutely must return to the principles upon which <ST1:COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on"><ST1:PLACE w:st="on">America</ST1:PLACE></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION> was founded. But finally, there is hope . . .

In THE REVOLUTION,<ST1:STATE w:st="on">Texas</ST1:STATE> congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul has exposed the core truths behind everything threatening <ST1:COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on"><ST1:PLACE w:st="on">America</ST1:PLACE></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION>, from the real reasons behind the collapse of the dollar and the looming financial crisis, to terrorism and the loss of our precious civil liberties. In this book, Ron Paul provides answers to questions that few even dare to ask.

Despite a media blackout, this septuagenarian physician-turned-congressman sparked a movement that has attracted a legion of young, dedicated, enthusiastic supporters . . . a phenomenon that has amazed veteran political observers and made more than one political rival envious. Candidates across <ST1:COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on"><ST1:PLACE w:st="on">America</ST1:PLACE></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION> are already running as "Ron Paul Republicans."

"Dr. Paul cured my apathy," says a popular campaign sign. THE REVOLUTION may cure yours as well.(less)

Paperback, 208 pages

Published September 24th 2009 by Grand Central Publishing (first published April 30th 2008)

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Apr 24, 2008

Aaron rated it

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Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: politics

Whether you agree or disagree with Ron Paul's views, this book serves as an important political primer on the real issues facing America today: civil liberties, the economy, the failing dollar, foreign policy.... issues mostly ignored by a national media obsessed with superficial catch-phrases and meaningless scandals. Primarily a concise collection of the views and ideas expressed during Ron Paul's 2008 Presidential campaign, this book also contains an extended reading list for "a free and...more

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Aug 27, 2008

Amy rated it

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Recommends it for: EVERYONE interested in politics or confused about their position on issues

I spoke too soon. I guess I should have trusted Ryan. This book was wonderful. I felt Ron Paul is a much better writer than speaker. I really enjoyed learning about the purpose of the constitution. I agree with the philosophy of smaller government and more liberty and independence for the people. His economics chapter was my favorite. Great reminder that we don't work for the government, the government works for us. Taxes- great reminder that if we completely got rid of taxes, the FED budget w...more

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Nov 17, 2008

Breck rated it

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I think most conservatives are fans of Ron Paul that simply don't know it yet. As the Republican party has changed over the last several years we have lost sight of what it means to be a conservative. Conservative once meant being an advocate of small fed gov't, less intervention, with a reliance on sound fiscal policy. The new conservatives/Republicans have lost that tradition as they spend more than ever and seek to grow the power of the federal gov't.

I think the problem with ...more

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Oct 20, 2008

Thomas rated it

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Shelves: non-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Before I read this book I would have said Ron Paul is one politician that I think I can identify most with, so this was not by any means a book that was difficult for me to read. I often found myself nodding in agreement - one of the few actions you can take while reading by yourself without looking like a "doofus."

There is a good exert from Ron Paul's call to action chapter (also titled "The Revolution") that I think sums up my view of this book (and what it rep...more

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Jun 30, 2008

Darcie rated it

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This book was a fascinating eye-opener for me. I started reading it because I was curious as to Ron Paul's core beliefs. He was ridiculed and pushed aside during the republican debates that I watched, so I became curious as to why they would not let him be heard. His ideas are in fact nothing new to the American tradition. It's just that we have gone so far astray from constitutional government that these ideas now seem revolutionary. Small government, non-interventionist foreign policy, fi...more

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Jul 25, 2008

Claire marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Five minutes of reading this at random has, three or four times now, proved more informative about the economic workings of our country than any number of months keeping up with headline news. It's also remarkably sane and intelligent. Take this quote, for instance:

Abolishing the income tax on individuals would cut government revenue by about 40 percent. I have heard the breathless claims about how radical that is--and compared to the trivial changes we are accustomed to seeing in go...more

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Jan 24, 2011

Ryan rated it

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Shelves: non-fiction

What I like about this book is not that it is the absolute best, most clear-cut argument for smaller government and many other ideals held by Libertarians. What I like about it is that it is a very readable book that I could recommend to friends of mine who want to get a better perspective about where I'm coming from. He uses enough current examples to take the book beyond the world of political theory and shows how a libertarian perspective can solve real problems confronting us now. He gets in...more

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Apr 28, 2008

Ryan rated it

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Recommends it for: People who are sick of the status quo

If you are familiar with Dr. Paul, you already know where he stands on the issues. This book goes and discusses his stance and why he feels the country today has turned its back on the Constitution and is no longer based upon the Founders philosophies.
This book is a simple read, only 176 pages and has a great recommended reading list at the end. Anyone who is interested in the beliefs of Dr. Paul and the Libertarian/Constitution parties platforms would be well advised to read this book.

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Jun 21, 2009

Steve rated it

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I read this book at my brother's request after he went to hear Ron Paul speak a while back. I agreed with almost all of the problems he presented in the book, but needless to say, my liberal leanings had some problems with some of the solutions he presented. Abolishing income tax, smaller government, more states rights are not the answers I don't think. While I agreed with most of the civil liberties chapter, I don't think that homeschooling is a "right" people have. He presented his a...more

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Nov 02, 2011

Chris Hitsman rated it

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A poignant well researched book, Ron Paul's book presents his opinion on many differing global economic and domestic social issues. The first chapter describes what Paul is proposing, and makes it clear that these are his opinions, and that he will support said opinions with gathered facts. The next five chapters each dive into a specific topic respectively. In chapter two, Paul states that we must move towards a non-interventionist foreign policy. Not only will it bring the alarming amount ...more

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Sep 30, 2008

Ryan rated it

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Recommends it for: Republicans and Democrats

This is a short read that I highly recommend to anyone wanting a fresh take on what ails our country.

Ron Paul argues that, in practice, Republican and Democratic politicians aren't that different - they are both "Big Government" parties. The "changes" they propose are rarely dramatic (except for spending increases).

One recurring theme of this book is that the federal government has been trampling the Constitution so badly and for so long, that we've g...more

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Jun 29, 2008

Scott rated it

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This was a quick and fascinating read. Paul, glosses over some of his views on almost every subject (abortion, economy, social security etc)that is encountered today in the political sphere. MOst of his comments and political plans are straight-forward, common sensical. The major pitfall though is that that they are highly impractical. Due in large part to the fact that the system is so broke at this point and the laws that have been put into place (that undermine the core of the rights of A...more

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Sep 28, 2008

Tom rated it

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Unfortunately for Ron Paul, the sound bites of his views come off as the ravings of a near lunatic... eliminate the IRS, the Federal Reserve System, the Department of Education and almost all federal government agencies. But, once you understand that those views are based upon a complete commitment to a government as designed by the constitution, they don't seem so radical.

The recent financial crisis and proposed bailout only proves Paul's point that the federal government has gro...more

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Jun 30, 2008

John Rivera rated it

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Shelves: politics

Dr. Paul rocks. This work is a nice afternoon or evening read that one can knock out in a matter of hours and yet it says pretty much all that needs to be said about our government and our times.

It would have been nice if the work had citations or footnotes in it but I also don't think this work was meant to be a text. Regardless, the suggested works in the back of this book are an excellent starting point for anyone who seriously wants to study the topics which Dr. Paul discusses in...more

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Feb 04, 2009

Sydney rated it

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I was a reluctant reader of Ron Paul. Having watched his recent run at presidential politics, I dismissed his shrill ranting as unfailingly naïve; then, once I deemed him not having a snowball’s chance at victory, I ceased to listen. At a friend’s urging/prodding/threatening, I read his book The Revolution: A Manifesto and found that Paul has a treasure trove of ideas about making American government serve the people rather than serving itself and elected representatives.

In The R...moreI was a reluctant reader of Ron Paul. Having watched his recent run at presidential politics, I dismissed his shrill ranting as unfailingly naïve; then, once I deemed him not having a snowball’s chance at victory, I ceased to listen. At a friend’s urging/prodding/threatening, I read his book The Revolution: A Manifesto and found that Paul has a treasure trove of ideas about making American government serve the people rather than serving itself and elected representatives.

In The Revolution, Paul makes a credible case for correcting many of the government’s past missteps. Foreign policy interventionism, foreign aid, and entitlements have, perverted the intended outcomes and, to make matters worse, achieved them by means that are a direct contradiction of articles of the U.S. Constitution. Foreign policy intervention has caused excessive military spending and unrest in countries where we have chosen to institute America-friendly but people-repressive regimes. Foreign aid is often absorbed by corrupt institutions and leaves the needy as bereft as before the money arrived. Finally, entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare have replaced charities, family and community in caring for the elderly and infirm; they are also being provided at significant cost to future generations. He provides facts and arguments that are hard to ignore, then he offers the rationale for why the political chattering classes and journalists do just that during every four year presidential election cycle.

One of Paul’s revolutionary proposals is the elimination of the income tax. While I decry the complexity of income taxes and the unfair burden I feel is imposed upon me as a taxpayer, I had never thought of income taxes as forced unpaid labor to support programs that I do not utilize or that I philosophically oppose. In concept, I love the idea and see how the elimination of government spending could offset that loss of revenue. Seems too simple to works as he describes it, and I would need to hear/read the thoughts of noteworthy economists before my wholehearted embrace of the concept. Additionally,neither Congressional will or self-interest exists to donything this radical.

Reading the book made me ask how could we the American electorate have allowed so many of the Federal government’s ill- conceived programs to take root and become perpetual budget line items. How did we allow legislative dithering, taxation, presidential fiat, and irresponsible budgetary behavior that does align with Constitutional intent to prosper?

I concluded that these things developed as a result of the public’s lack of intellectual curiosity about how government operates, abdication of electoral responsibility, and a collective failure to take action when we see government running afoul. Or in my case, as a government contractor, a healthy dose of self-interest.

Although Paul makes some recommendations about how to reverse these ex-constitutional programs and actions, his recommendations rely heavily upon generating popular and focused dissent, thus causing the people of this nation to rise up in revolt. I am afraid and dismayed to admit this, but I think Barack Obama’s election as President is all the revolution Americans can stomach for at least four score and I don' know how many more years.

The revolution as defined by Paul would require a diet of substantive dialogue, lessons in the content and intent of The Constitution, a healthy exercise of civic responsibility, and engagement in the political process (that involves more than chanting, “Yes we can.”). Further, it would demand American Idol-like devotion to government proceedings, like watching Congressional hearings and reading issues of the Federal Register. Unlike him, I have no hope that the public wants to do what would be required, but I wish him well.

All in all, the book has good content and is an easy read. You'll read and be better informed, even if his writing style leaves you wishing his editor had exercised the red pen more readily.
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Dec 29, 2008

Jared rated it

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Shelves: non-fiction, political-thought

This is a very thought-provoking book. It makes you question the conventional political wisdom and presents very clearly how a lot of the supposed choices that are considered on Capitol Hill neglect other, perhaps better choices. It's rare to have a politician lay out why he or she votes the way he or she does on given issues. Ron Paul lays out a number of his positions and defends his beliefs. Amazingly, a lot his positions are actually carefully considered, in contrast to a lot of the othe...more

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Jan 08, 2011

John Vibber rated it

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As a social liberal/fiscal conservative I wanted a clear challenge to my own thinking. I was immediately impressed by the quality of Paul's writing and the clarity of his explanations and arguments. On a number of issue I was amazed to find out how little I actually knew. A prime example of this was the Federal Reserve System. More than specific issues, Paul portrays a libertarian viewpoint that could easily be characterized as crazy if considered superficially. e.g. abolish the Fed, national...more

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Dec 13, 2009

John rated it

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Mention the name Ron Paul and you’re met with scorn or praise. Unfortunately either reaction drips with sarcasm. He is seen as a radical, outside the pale of reasoned debate. It was not always so. His arguments would win near unanimous consent from the Founding generation. That he’s so mocked speaks volumes, not about him but about how far we have fallen.

Dr. Paul’s book touches not only on the brutality of big government but, perhaps more germane to our immediate situation, its absu...moreMention the name Ron Paul and you’re met with scorn or praise. Unfortunately either reaction drips with sarcasm. He is seen as a radical, outside the pale of reasoned debate. It was not always so. His arguments would win near unanimous consent from the Founding generation. That he’s so mocked speaks volumes, not about him but about how far we have fallen.

Dr. Paul’s book touches not only on the brutality of big government but, perhaps more germane to our immediate situation, its absurdities.

Yes, those who acquire power abuse it. They instigate unnecessary wars and usurp increasing domestic control, all financed by enormous deficits. Just a cursory look at the last century shows how ambition and ideology, mixed with promises of equality or fairness, can devolve into genocidal rage. But when confronted with these realities, most scoff at the notion it can happen here. It’s as if we are immune from the wickedness intrinsic in human nature. We have been blinded by our self assurance.

Just because we’re not Stalinist Russia doesn’t mean our increasing subservience to bureaucrats has no consequences. The accompanying waste, fraud, and abuse are destroying market efficiency and our self reliance.

Paul’s book exposes this soft tyranny. He asks why our supposed republic needs over 700 military bases in 130 countries. Or why we insist on dispatching trillions of dollars in foreign aid for programs that, by every account, have failed miserably, prompting a leading African economist, Kenyan James Shikwati, to plead to the West, “For God’s sake, please just stop.”

And foreign aid is but a microcosm of what is occurring here. Government spending is reaching levels difficult to conceptualize. A quick anecdote: the NYC public school system has around 6,000 in their central office. The city’s Catholic schools, which educate one-fifth as many students, with far better results, employ 26.

Life would not only be freer but immeasurably better with less government. Study after empirical study shows that quality of life improves quickest when liberty and free markets take hold. But the leviathan continues to grow.

Paul is often asked, “But what would you cut, aren’t these programs essential?” He says he’d get rid of the income tax, which would reduce federal government revenue by 40 percent. After the derisive laughter ceases, he explains this would lower the budget to the level it was in . . . 1997. We can’t manage with the budget we had in 1997?

Paul’s book is an important start to anyone who is serious about understanding the perils we face.
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Dec 10, 2009

Jonny99 rated it

You say you want a revolution? Well, you know, we’d all love to see the plan.” - John Lennon
My newly Republican brother Doug gave me this book for my birthday and the fact that I am now just getting to it in October gives you a sense of how far behind I am on my reading. The book presents the revolution as suggested by Representative Ron Paul. Paul is a long-time Congressman and frequent also-ran Presidential candidate who raised some eyebrows with a short-lived flurry of Internet donation...moreYou say you want a revolution? Well, you know, we’d all love to see the plan.” - John Lennon
My newly Republican brother Doug gave me this book for my birthday and the fact that I am now just getting to it in October gives you a sense of how far behind I am on my reading. The book presents the revolution as suggested by Representative Ron Paul. Paul is a long-time Congressman and frequent also-ran Presidential candidate who raised some eyebrows with a short-lived flurry of Internet donations. We learn late in the book the reason for the interest among younger, Internet-savvy donators; Paul advocates the repeal of at least some of U.S. drug law (at least marijuana although he may have meant other banned substances as well). Obviously, we know now that his bid for the Republican nomination never gained widespread interest. Was this a massive squandered opportunity on a national scale where one man’s ground-breaking thinking was overlooked by an overly cautious media and populace?
Here are his ideas:

A Paul is an isolationist, er, I mean non-interventionist. I’m not sure why I keep confusing the two especially since Paul takes great pains to explain the difference and why it is not just hair-splitting. Ultimately he bemoans why people don’t seem to get the distinction. In a Paul U.S. we would avoid giving foreign aid (sorry Sudan), trade with any nation without regard to politics (I am gonna play Sun City) and scrupulously avoid trade organizations (just look at how badly the whole EU thing is going). Thomas Friedman would say globalization and being involved in affairs not within our borders is as much as a choice as whether to use technology but he must be wrong because he writes for the New York Times (Paul claims the NYT has never printed anything truthful – he doesn’t say whether that includes movie times or not).

Paul favors a return to a strict interpretation of the U.S. constitution, as written, straight, no chaser. Dr. Paul’s is strictly against the “living (odd for a doctor) constitution” idea - a viewpoint that argues that the constitution must be interpreted to deal with modern questions. He sites as evidence the recent abuses by the executive branch of the government including the increasing elasticity of the reasons to use eminent domain, the rescinding of habeas corpus and the use of presidential signing statements. I think these are more circumventions rather than reinterpretations of the constitution but I see his point.

Paul seems to favor an end to health insurance. Rather you could just negotiate to pay your doctor in cash and then have catastrophic insurance for the big stuff; essentially the opposite of universal health care. I was left wondering when does catastrophic kick in? After all you can bleed to death either by cutting your carotid artery in two or by losing drop by drop in you intestines. Also, I wasn’t sure how this would help those currently unable to afford health insurance – aren’t they in the same predicament under either system?

Paul favors a return to the gold standard or making U.S. currency again redeemable into gold on demand. The concept is essentially to backstop the currency with a tangible resource, an idea the world abandoned with the Nixon administration. The advantage is stability but the disadvantage is solid restrictions on economic growth. I just wonder about the practical concern of where we would get 11 trillion dollars worth of gold.

The writing is plain and passable. Paul alludes to great thinkers of the past but never delves too deeply into their ideas. None of what he says seems particularly revolutionary unless you believe the U.S. has strayed so far from its founding ideals that a return to them is revolutionary. In general, I felt Dr. Paul’s diagnoses were on the mark particularly on executive branch overreach, the Iraqi misadventure and the movement aware from founding ideals. I just felt his old-time remedies may not be sophisticated enough for a modern U.S. (less)

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Feb 21, 2010

Jennifer rated it

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I have always respected Ron Paul, but felt that I didn't agree with him on many issues. Now having read The Revolution, I realize that I didn't know what he believed, I only knew what people said he believed. I absolutely recommend this book to everyone--whether conservative or liberal or in the middle.

Reading the book has forced me to reconsider issues that I thought were closed in my opinion--in particular, the ineffectiveness of U.S. foreign policy and the debate about legalizin...more

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Mar 27, 2010

Benjamin rated it

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Yes I think I really have become one of those Ron Paul people. I like it. The thing about Ron Paul that is so great is he is actually an honest person. Very hard to find in politics today, it is evident that his opinions are his own formed from personal study and research, rather than crafted by a group of political consultants. Thats why even if you don't agree with him on everything, you can trust him because you know where he really stands. I found out about him while doing some research o...more

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Apr 15, 2009

John Caneday rated it

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Shelves: 2009

I remember studying the U.S. Constitution for the first time in eighth grade and being perplexed by what it said and yet seeing very clearly that things were not the way they were intended by the founding fathers. Since then I have always yearned to see our government work the way it was intended to work. Yet at the same time I was firmly committed to the principles espoused by the conservative wing of the Republican Party. I enthusiastically voted for Bob Dole for President in 1996 when I wa...moreI remember studying the U.S. Constitution for the first time in eighth grade and being perplexed by what it said and yet seeing very clearly that things were not the way they were intended by the founding fathers. Since then I have always yearned to see our government work the way it was intended to work. Yet at the same time I was firmly committed to the principles espoused by the conservative wing of the Republican Party. I enthusiastically voted for Bob Dole for President in 1996 when I was first eligible to vote.
I had been persuaded that if Republicans were in power in Washington that the government power would be restrained and we would thrive as a nation. I believed that the way things were was basically working. The Federal Reserve System was managing the economy well, we have freedoms many other nations yearn to possess, our economy was strong and showed no signs of mortality.
Though I still wished things were as the Constitutional framers had intended them to be, things were working, and I thought it wasn’t realistic to upset a functioning system. So I supported George W. Bush for president in 2000 and 2004, believing that he would govern fundamentally differently than Al Gore and John Kerry.
After 9/11 I too began to believe that we must take action against radical Islamic terrorists and part of that action must ultimately include dealing with Iraq, which I’d believed that George H. Bush and Bill Clinton had dealt with inadequately. I was enthusiastic about the prospect of overthrowing the tyrannical regime of Saddam Hussein and bringing peace and democracy to Iraq. I fiercely defended the war and had contempt for those that opposed the war and later worked to end it.
I was a strong proponent of the Patriot Act and believed it was a much needed piece of legislation that would protect America from Islamic terrorism. As for the massive budget deficits of the Bush administration I wished that he and the Congress would use restraint, but I still supported the president and much of the other policies he enforced. I kept thinking, if only Bush had restrained spending, what a great president he could have been. I honestly believed that George W. Bush would go down in history as one of our best presidents—going against the conventional wisdom of the day.
But these beliefs have undergone a radical transformation since Barack Obama took office in January. President Obama has continued many of the policies of his predecessor including bank bailouts, continuing in Iraq, and continued trust in the Federal Reserve System. While President Bush pushed the budget deficit into unprecedented heights, President Obama has already spent more than Bush ever did.
The likeness between the two men’s policies has given credence to the notion that the two parties have more in common than not. The two political parties have false disagreements—meaning they are arguing over the wrong questions, arguing with the wrong presuppositions.
Enter Ron Paul, Austrian Economic Theory, and Libertarianism. I was introduced to Austrian Economics through Peter Schiff, a financial pundit that is all over cable news shows. He predicted the economic collapse years ago, and was ridiculed for it. I wanted to know why he was so prescient, so I found that he was connected to the Austrian school of thought on economics. The more I read the more convinced I was that the current political and financial structure was inherently immoral, deceptive, and destructive. I found that Congressman Ron Paul of Texas had also been predicting economic collapse for years and had been actively opposed to most everything that Congress has done during his tenure in Washington. I’d known of Ron Paul during the 2008 Republican Primaries and I thought he was a naïve third party candidate with no hope of winning, and I didn’t even consider supporting him for these reasons.
I finally broke down and read Ron Paul’s book entitled The Revolution: A Manifesto. I thought that I might at least appreciate his stance on small government and sound money, but I thought I would be unconvinced about his opposition to the Iraq War and supporting Israel financially and militarily. To my surprise I found myself in complete agreement with everything he wrote in the book.
Ron Paul’s manifesto is precisely the desire of our founding fathers. I was delighted to see these issues are not Republican or Democrat issues—these are fundamentally American issues. All freedom loving Americans ought to resonate with Ron Paul’s message of peace, prosperity, and freedom.
In The Revolution Paul demonstrates that both major political parties have far more in common than not. The Democratic Party has the reputation (and deservedly so) of being the party of big government. They often say they want it to be “smarter” or “more efficient,” but it is always big. Republicans want “smaller” government, but their idea of small is clearly only relative to other national governments. Our federal government is massive—there can be no doubt about this. It is undeniable that both parties are for big government, they disagreement is merely concerning how much bigger or how much smaller. This is a false disagreement.
The framers sought to devise a system of states allied with one another through a small, central government. They gave limited rights to the central government bestowing all other rights unto the states. This is clearly not the way things currently stand. Over the years Washington has centralized the power given to the states, subordinating state’s rights. This power grab has had profound effects on our nation and has led toward what Ron Paul calls the “Imperial Presidency.” The “Imperial President” has taken upon himself powers not granted to the executive branch by the Constitution, and this has been accepted by both political parties. Congress has been complicit in this power grab, granting rights to the executive branch that only they can wield.
I am now fully persuaded that our nation will not have positive, meaningful change until either the Democratic or Republican parties embrace the kind of limited government that the framers intended. I do not believe that either party is capable of this right now. What is required is a fundamental change in governance. There must be a third party to overthrow the tyranny of the American government. The revolution must happen to save America from the certain ruin that both political parties are driving toward.
Read this book!

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May 05, 2011

Cassandra Silva rated it

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Shelves: politics

Not enough solutions are presented for the problems the author/political activist references. I don't think the few solutions he does manage to write down are even practical. I think many Americans agree about these problems. The social security system, the debt that America is in, the healthcare system, the war on drugs, the whole system is flawed. I am a democrat. Don't be surprised we see these problems too. We know all of this! What he is he or any one else going to do about it? What we all ...more

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Feb 20, 2010

No Remorse rated it

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"The draft is a totalitarian institution that is based on the idea that the government owns you and can dispose of your life as it wishes." - the revolution by Ron Paul

"In a free society, lives are not the playthings of government." - Ron Paul

"The Founding Fathers did not intend for every American neighborhood to be exactly the same - a totalitarian impulse if there ever was one."

"The income tax implies: Government owns you, ...more

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Nov 20, 2008

Kim rated it

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I'm on page 36 and couldn't agree more with what Ron Paul has said so far about beomg an isolationist. War should be in self-defense and we need to stop supporting any other country with foreign aid. He espouses going back to the way that our Founding Fathers thought about foreign relations. That we do not impose ourselves on any other nation and seek to lead through the strength of our own country. Some of the best 36 pages I've ever read. Takes a lot of courage to call out one's own party...moreI'm on page 36 and couldn't agree more with what Ron Paul has said so far about beomg an isolationist. War should be in self-defense and we need to stop supporting any other country with foreign aid. He espouses going back to the way that our Founding Fathers thought about foreign relations. That we do not impose ourselves on any other nation and seek to lead through the strength of our own country. Some of the best 36 pages I've ever read. Takes a lot of courage to call out one's own party to the carpet. But it must be done to show that we aren't all lock-step in line with a party. Some of have roots that go back to the founding of this great nation.

UPDATE: Finished book in two days. It was revolutionary. I have my doubts that his views would ever be popular again, however, although millions of people do share his views. One of the theories of physics is that everything is winding down. Nothing is expanding. The sun, our bodies, most everything is winding down. I don't see how we will ever go back. I personally think that it is God's plan that we are winding down to the final end described in the Bible.

I did not disagree much with Ron Paul's ideas except that he would displace tens of millions of people from gov't jobs and I don't see how that would happen. People are generally selfish and I don't see them voting themselves out of a job.

However, that aside, yes I do agree with much of Mr. Paul's ideas. Limited central gov't as described in the Constitution, more of an isolationist world view, state's rights preempt a more dominant federal gov't like we have. For people who can not make out a difference between people who call themselves democrats and republicans and don't like it, this book is for you. Although Ron Paul was able to put together a coalition of people from all walks of life, I think his ideas tend to be more in the conservative camp. He advocates that the gov't basically just gets out of the way of her people so that we can live in true freedom and not as slaves to our gov't. (less)

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Jun 28, 2010

James rated it

· review of another edition

Quick read. It's definitely a manifesto. It briefly hits on a number of topics, and then redirects the reader to a lot of other works. I agree with many of the stances that Ron Paul takes in this book. What I thought was lacking was an end goal. Paul basically wants debate on the issues he brings up. I guess that's a start, but what's the end goal. Freedom? Liberty? That's pretty generic.

Also, true revolutions need leaders. You need someone who's willing to put their name on the line...more

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Nov 07, 2011

Jake Keyel rated it

Shelves: books, non-fiction, ir-political-science, kindle

Superficial. Shallow. Lacking substance. Poorly argued. That's how I would describe this book. While I agree with some of the ideas in this book, almost none of them are Ron Paul's. It seems like half of the text is quotes from other people. I keep wondering, where are Ron Paul's own ideas? Where are his arguments?

Furthermore, Paul doesn't go into depth on any issue. He merely mentions an issue and what he thinks, without developing an argument. To give an example, at one point Paul...more

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Jan 26, 2010

Krista rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: education, history-ish, politics-issues

LOVED it!!!

I admit, I thought Ron Paul was this||close to a loon during the 2008 election. His positions - and the shorter, more strident sound bytes from his supporters - just seemed so impractical. The staging of his ideas in ALL media simply reinforced my perception and convinced me that I didn't have to bother researching what he actually said, or why.

Wow. I was wrong - not just in my assessment of him, but in my lazy, dismissive, (and I might even say "shee...more

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Jan 29, 2012

Maggie rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Any American voter

Shelves: politics, economics, free-market, constitution, history, libertarian, non-fiction, male-author

A great primer into the mind of a politician who wants to slash the government down to size, eliminate the Fed, eliminate all income taxes, bring home the troops, and use our absurdly bloated military spending to tackle our mounting debt.

I think using the word "Revolution" to describe his way of thinking is not far off the mark, when he's talking about foreign policy and the Constitution. However, I think his great ideas end there. Sure, there's also a lot that Ron Paul says...moreA great primer into the mind of a politician who wants to slash the government down to size, eliminate the Fed, eliminate all income taxes, bring home the troops, and use our absurdly bloated military spending to tackle our mounting debt.

I think using the word "Revolution" to describe his way of thinking is not far off the mark, when he's talking about foreign policy and the Constitution. However, I think his great ideas end there. Sure, there's also a lot that Ron Paul says in his book that's not hard to love (torture is bad! our health care system is insane! unchecked executive power is dangerous!) but it's not particularly controversial either.

What leads me to give only three stars are a couple of issues that he reveals himself to be woefully ignorant. He claims, for instance, that we can use the court system to take care of all of our pesky environmental problems by invoking the people's right to sue the business next door for pollution which causes us direct and provable harm. Ron Paul is stuck in 1970, when all the big industrial cities smelled like rotten eggs. He does not realize that CO2 is invisible and has no smell. It is incredibly naive to think that we can reverse the current levels of greenhouse gases by hauling all big businesses off to court. Wait, it's beyond naive, it's more like WTF? His claim is that IF we'd trusted the free market all along, we wouldn't be in this mess, and all our industries would be a shining utopian sea of green. Yay! Well, welcome to reality, my friends. Ron Paul wants to turn back the clock, yet offers no solutions to the reality on the ground.

Granted, the environment is the issue that I vote on, and his voting record on environmental issues is abysmal. So if you think the green movement is a bunch of hype, maybe Paul is your man. Oh, and if you don't care much about the privacy rights of women, (see his passionate pro-life argument, which uses the oh-so-sophisticated shock-and-traumatize tactics that you see from the likes of the picketers you see in front of Planned Parenthood --- CLASSY!), then maybe Paul is your man.

Enough complaining though. Ron Paul is an intelligent guy, clearly an intellectual, who is spot on when it comes to how our government should work. This book inspired me to try to wade through the tangled mess that is our current economic situation and try to make heads or tails of it. As other reviewers commented, this is a nice introduction to some revolutionary ideas, but he doesn't delve very deep. My sense is that that reflects more on what he was trying to create (a popular book) than on any limitations of his understanding of economics (if not the environment).(less)

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Jun 20, 2011

Melissa Jones rated it

· review of another edition

Paul makes some interesting points and has some good ideas. I have never been a politically interested person but Ron Paul has grabbed my attention. Dr. Paul has definitely cured my apathy. He brings up issues that most politicians wouldn't and he is controversial. He is a breath of fresh air in the current political world. I feel that Paul is what American is in need of. I do not agree with all of his stances on issues. He takes his religion too seriously for my taste, but he is the most trustw...more

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About Ron Paul

Republican United States Congressman from Lake Jackson, Texas, a physician, a bestselling author, and a former 2008 U.S. presidential candidate.
Originally from the Pittsburgh suburb of Green Tree, Pennsylvania, he studied at Duke University School of Medicine; after his 1961 graduation and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, he became a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, serving outside th...moreRepublican United States Congressman from Lake Jackson, Texas, a physician, a bestselling author, and a former 2008 U.S. presidential candidate.
Originally from the Pittsburgh suburb of Green Tree, Pennsylvania, he studied at Duke University School of Medicine; after his 1961 graduation and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, he became a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, serving outside the Vietnam War zone. He later represented Texas districts in the U.S. House of Representatives (1976–1977, 1979–1985, and 1997–present). He entered the 1988 presidential election, running as the Libertarian nominee while remaining a registered Republican, and placed a distant third.

Paul has been described as conservative, Constitutionalist, and libertarian. He advocates a foreign policy of nonintervention, having voted against actions such as the Iraq War Resolution, but in favor of force against terrorists in Afghanistan. He favors withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations, citing the dangers of foreign entanglements to national sovereignty. Having pledged never to raise taxes, he has long advocated ending the federal income tax, scaling back government spending, abolishing most federal agencies, and removing military bases and troops from foreign soil; he favors hard money and opposes the Federal Reserve. He also opposes the Patriot Act, the federal War on Drugs, No Child Left Behind, and gun control. Paul is strongly pro-life, and has introduced bills to negate Roe v. Wade, but affirms states' rights to regulate or ban abortion, rather than federal jurisdiction.

While Paul was a leading 2008 presidential candidate in some Republican straw polls, he saw substantially less support in landline opinion polls and in the actual primaries. Strong internet grassroots support was indicated by his popularity as a web search term, his lead in YouTube subscriptions, and, on December 16th 2007, the largest one-day fundraiser in U.S. political history, netting over $6 million in 24 hours through an independently organized effort. His book commenting on the presidential run, The Revolution: A Manifesto, became a bestseller immediately upon release and went on to be #1 on the New York Times nonfiction best sellers list.

Judge Andrew Napolitano calls him "the Thomas Jefferson of our day."

Ron Paul, the New York Post once wrote, is a politician who "cannot be bought by special interests."

"There are few people in public life who, through thick and thin, rain or shine, stick to their principles," added a congressional colleague. "Ron Paul is one of those few." (less)

More about Ron Paul...

Books by Ron Paul

Liberty Defined: The 50 Urgent Issues That Affect Our Freedom

A Foreign Policy of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship

The Case for Gold: A Minority Report of the United State Gold Commission

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