Good To Be King: The Foundation of Our Constitutional Freedom

Rating:
Summary: Kerry/Bush vowed to NOT debate him
Review: This book is required reading for anyone that wants to know what the current Libertarian front is. It is designed to clear up so many of the misconceptions about the party and the philosophy.

Michael Badnarik is right in line with many perspectives that the Libertarian party has been working to bring BACK to the general public for decades.

I have surmised that in a socialist country you are NOT free to be libertarian, in a libertarian country you ARE free to be socialist (so long as your socialist groups are made up of voluintary members, hence 'liberty').

This is bolstered by the methods described in the book for eliminating the excesses of our current political system and keeping the government to it's role of protecting life, liberty and property.

I have purchased a few copies of this book for family and friends, as it is a great primer for those who recieved only a cursory/jaded* review of the founding documents in 'school'.

He, with the tenents in this book, belongs in the national debates (Next time huh?).

He also teaches a class with this book as the resource for the class. http://www.constitutionpreservation.org/

I would like to see a follow up book SOON, as well as more interest from the Americas as to the proper role of government.

It's like the Badnarik says, 'If you don't vote [and work] for Liberty, you'll never get it.'

It's hard to argue with logic like that.

Enjoy,

Scott L.
Seattle, Washington
(On the web with numerous Libertarian groups and activities)

Rating:
Summary: Okay
Review: Being a registered Libertarian, I was a little disappointed in this. It was much lighter in weight than my other Constitution and Supreme Court readings, but was even more lightweight than I expected. Although the first couple sections are good, it quickly gets lost and seems to be more a collection of short notes rather than a worked-out essay. The printing is good, but the binding is less well done, and it could have used some more typograhical reviews. Overall, not bad, just not what I had hoped.

Rating:
Summary: A liberal fan of libertarian thought
Review: First, I should expose myself as a leftist social democrat who subscribes to Liberty magazine, and is largely informed by libertarian philosophy in matters of individual freedom. I am a member of the Green Party with a progressive-populist world view, HOWEVER, I also believe in a limited national government-- the Green value of decentralization. I also greatly respect and admire Mr. Badnarik.

GOOD TO BE KING is greatly informative and breaks down almost each and every article, section, and clause of the Constitution. Part of the problem with the U.S. Constitution is the language in which it is written. I am a learned person, yet my eyes can glaze over with some of the wording-- example, "No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed." Now, I remember what "ex post facto" means from middle school social studies; it means that a person is not to be charged for a crime that he committed before the action was deemed illegal. However, "Bill of Attainder?" I had no idea, and I guess I just assumed it was another term for ex post facto. In fact, "no Bill of Attainder" prohibits the government from seizing the assetts from a criminal convicted of treason or a capital felony. This is just one of more than a dozen examples where Mr. Badnarik was illuminating.

On the negative side, I will say that while Mr. Badnarik is less worshipful than most "constitutional scholars," he does glorify the founders beyond a level which they rightfully deserve. He serves as an apologist for slavery and states that the recognition of Blacks as 3/5 human was an "improvement" over them being recognized as 0% human-- ignoring that it was the slavemaster who wanted them recognized as full humans for the purpose of congressional apportionment, not any type of human rights!

Furthermore, while I admire and respect Mr. Badnarik, his view of socialism is simply ignorant. It is a schoolboy's view of socialism in which the term "socialist" or "communist" can be hurled as a blanket epithet to automatically render something "unamerican." He argues that America is in fact a communist country now based on the ten planks of the Communist Manifesto... My question for Mr. Badnarik would be whether or not the USSR was less communist than modern day America because they did not have a progressive income tax, nor inheritance tax, and in fact, funded their government through sales taxes that many libertarians inexplicably support (despite the fact that the penalize economic transactions, which I would think would be the last thing a libertarian would want to do).

Finally, conservative-libertarian logic is flawed in many regards, to the extent that I almost have to question its intellectual dishonesty. Badnarik scorns the monarchist view that only royalty can own property and thus have rights, since monarchs attain this status not through merit but by "the lottery of birth"-- his words. Yet, he criticizes the idea of inheritance taxes in words so plain I would think he was arguing on their behalf if I didn't know better-- "Even with a will the government can take a percentage. This prevents future generations within a family from accumulating a significant amount of wealth." SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!

Let me be clear: I thoroughly enjoyed this book to the extent that I read it in a single Saturday. It was greatly informative, but also thought-provoking. While Badnarik may disagree with my criticisms of his thoughts, I know that he would give his life to defend my right to assert them! The fact that the book provoked these arguments makes it an excellent buy.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: Good:
Once I started reading the book, I found it difficult to stop. Mr. Badnarik is very interesting and informative and even funny at times.

Bad:
The chapter on "other amendments" appears to have been rushed to completion.

But the worst is:
I thought I would have a book that I could share for many years to come but the pages started falling out before I finished reading it, very poor binding. Maybe the paperback version would be a better choice.


Rating:
Summary: What I didn't know...
Review: I come from an upper middle-class background where we cited the Pledge of Allegience and had to memorize the 'Preamble' in private school. My point being that I am not altogether completely ignorant of the Constitution, or at least I didn't think I was.

This book will open your eyes, and per Badnarik's intent, rattle your cage about what you learn. He welcomes you to research his points for yourself, which is a good idea for anyone whether you're inclined to agree or disagree with him. This book has inspired me to do further research on my own.

You will learn that many of the 'givens' in our society are in direct violation of our individual rights and/or completely 'unconstitutional'. A possibly small case in point - we always hear about our system of gov. being referred to as a democracy. We don't have a democracy. We have a republic as specifically intended by the Founding Fathers.

Someone called Michael Badnarik "unbiased" in his writings, which I completely disagree with. However, Badnarik's premises are based off of or in agreement with the major contributors among the Founding Fathers' own beliefs. Again, that is all independantly researchable. Suffice it to say, men like James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Sam Adams, George Washington and Ben Franklin would be appalled by the goverment we have today.

You can get your own copy of the Declaration of Independence/Constitution for about $5 from the Cato Institute, which is probably the first item that should be researched.

Like other readers I have noticed several typographical errors and a poor binding. Those are the only cons I can list for this book, and for me they're completely irrelevent. The content of the book far, far aways the minor cons.

I'm familiar with Badnarik running as the LP Presidential Candidate, and while I might not agree with him on every single line item of his stance, I have to say he certainly knows the Constitution and the light in which it was written and intended.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible Insight
Review: I had the pleasure of receiving this book from Michael directly and read it cover-to-cover on the flight and at the hotel after I landed.

His breakdown of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the meaning of each sentence to every American is "must have" knowlege if We The People want to retain our freedoms. He highlights the intent of the founders in limiting the government control on our freedoms and how many of them are being abused and/or eroded by those currently in power.

For those who ever served in the military or in public office, and made an oath to "uphold and defend the Constitution", this is an extremely important book to read.

Rating:
Summary: Best book I've ever read on Government
Review: I'm an American, and this is perhaps the best book I've read on the function and form of American government today. It is also a stinging reminder of how uninformed and crippled most Americans are in their understanding of the government that they support.

I would have to recommend that you pick up a copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Consititution of the USA for about 5 bucks. The Bill of Rights also, as verification of the rights that all human beings are concieved with. Once you read through this book, and the beforementioned, you will have a clear understanding of what America is, and it's not defined by the government- but by the people. That is the difference between us an all of the other failed governments throughout history.

To ensure the future, I encourage you to educate yourself and purchase this book. You can only regret it if you don't.

Rating:
Summary: Everything you ever wanted to know about the Constitution!
Review: Michael Badnarik does a great job of explaining the US Constitution in terms anyone can understand. In fact, in his book as well as his 8-hour class, he teaches the constitution in a way that no one else does, or would dare to.

How well do you know and understand the Constitution? Do you know when it was ratified? Did you know that the Bill of Rights has a preable? Do you know what Common Law is? Read this book!!!

You will be shocked and amazed, and enlightened. After reading his book, you will know more about the Constitution than most of your elected officials!

Rating:
Summary: Must read for all
Review: Mr. Badnarik goes beyond the twisted scope of the biased media and elected officials and shows you what really is in the Constitution. He shares with the reader an insight that is not taught across americas schools but should be. A must read for every American.

Rating:
Summary: Easy to read and informative
Review: What I like most about Michael's book is that it is written for someone who isn't a scholar or has a PhD. The concepts are outlined and discussed in a practical way so that an individual can gain an appreciation for liberty and eventually taking responsibility for their affairs. I have had the opportunity to meet Michael on several occasions and I can say firsthand he is passionate and dedicated to the cause of liberty.