My name is Chris. I’m 20-something and work full time, 48 hours or so a week. I live in New Jersey. I am absolutely addicted to politics, political books, and blogs. So now I am a blogger.
This Blog is about Political books, policies and ideas. Specifically, I post Political Book Summaries and Political Book Reviews, and then posts related to those two main items. Right now, I’m reading and posting three books. Letter to a New president, Presidents and Near Presidents I’ve known, Hard Call, and Once upon a Country.
I am currently looking for anyone interested in writing book reviews, book summaries, book reports, etc. on politically-relevent books. Biographies on politicians, old political books, current books, books on economics and macro finances, books on foreign policy, etc. would all be accepted. As long as the book is interesting and connected to politics in some fashion, I’ be happy to post it along with your name and a link back, be it a blog, webpage or email.
Maybe you have some old book reports on your computer, and 1 of them was on a political book. Send it my way.
Maybe you have to write a report on a book sometime in the future for a college class. Send it my way.
Maybe you have a political blog, read a lot of political books and would like to write something that can go on both your blog and then on mine, sending you traffic.
If you’re interested, leave a message here and I’ll get back to you.
Additionally, I post articles on things I’m interested in. These categories are:
America at War
Something I really don’t like about the current Main Stream Media is how easiy they forget we’re at war and how much they’re put to the back burner unless something horrible happens.
Blogging from work
As it happens, when my boss isn’t around, I sometimes post little posts from work. Generally just a link to something I found interesting to read.
Book Notes
These are kind of like End Notes or Page Notes. For example, if I reference Iraq, I can turn it into a hyperlink directing towards a book note on the middle east. These are half political musings and half factual reference. So I list which countries are in the middle east, and then offer my political thoughts on the middle east.
Fact Checking
I think fact checking is important and love the sites Politifact.com, Snopes.com and Factcheck.org. I like to send them traffic and sometimes critisize their work, but I only critisize because I love them. Even when they are unfair in anyway, their worst reporting is better than most places best.
Opinion
Should be obvious, these are opinion pieces. Arugments, rants, support for or against certain things, generally policy.
Summaries
These are book summaries. Bare in mind that a summary is supposed to be perfectly neutral. If I’m summarizing an ignorant book, the summary will be ignorant. These summaries may or may not have mini-reviews included.
Reviews
These are reviews of political books. Both mine, and others’.
So there have it. This is also a useful place if you’d like to leave a general comment about the blog. Cheers.
Book Summary and Review: “FairTax: The Truth”
Political Book Summaries, Reviews and Opinions 
Chris, I am new to WordPress (3 days) and appreciate comment you left on my blog (http://dearmrpresident2010.wordpress.com)
I am impressed by your site and will continue to check it out. When do you have time to read and research after working 48 hrs a week??
I surely agree with comments you made today at bottom of your site…i.e.
could not possibly vote for Palin, but as a liberal independent am open to input and good information from all sources.
“When do you have time to read and research after working 48 hrs a week??”
I’m on my iphone so much people make jokes about it. My boss even had a phrase for it. “How many times chris?!! How many times??!” lol 😛 That, plus I’m just horribly addicted to politics. It’s like crack to me. yesterday I got three books from the library (books on the cheapz!)
And thanks for the comments. Always nice to hear simple positives. 🙂
yep. i hate it when work takes away from art.
Alas, work pays the rent and car insurance. And yes, I’m at work now. 🙂
By the way, got the book and started reading it. 🙂
Chris: the sources you site are dubious at best. I find most blogs quote other blogs, go back to my site and see the confidential search engine I’ve posted. Google takes down most of the good stuff. You find something worthy of posting use the title in that search engine, if the bloggs that come up with the story ahead of you don’t have a real source the the credibility is always in question. I’d like to find out more about you and I’ll do the things you suggest plus offer other suggestions on blog optimization. I ran Stopsocialism now for a couple years and was getting 2-3 thousand hits a day. Just started the new one. Jim
With respect, parts of what you said confused me.
What source are you talking about?
What stuff on my side has google take down?
What more would you like to find out about me?
But any advice on using better sources or better optimization would be useful.
Chris, I like your blog and your viewpoints and the fact that you’re a Tea Partier or some-such. I heard about your blog on an unschooler list I’m on. I unschool my 6.5-YO child and am quite glad to see you’re doing what you love.
BTW, have you read the works of Ayn Rand? I am an Objectivist (agree with the philosophy of Rand).
I might be interested in doing a book review soon on politics/government and will forward that to you. i used to do lots of such reviews when I worked at newspapers in my 20-something and 30-something years. I’m now 40-something.
Best to you,
David
Well thanks for the comment and compliment! Love both! 🙂
It’s awesome people were talking about my site on your list, can only hope it was all positive. I have no read anything by Ayn Rand, though I have read about her and though I won’t claim to belong to any specific group, her objectivism is pretty close to where I am.
I would love such a book review!! Thanks! And best of luck with the unschooling. I was homeschooled for a bit in my own childhood, and now my sister (14) is being unschooled.
What is “unschooling”?
Unschooling is not a form of homeschooling. It is a complete rejection of any kind of schooling at all. It refers to the parents getting completely out of the way of the exploration and information gathering and value seeking of their children — without even a mention that such information gathering is some sort of “schooling.” It is a complete lack of outside coercive structure on the child or any hint of motivation to do something.
It is a recognition that children have volition and rationality and can make up their own minds on what info they want for whatever goals they have in mind — and WHEN they wish to gather that info.
I “unschool” my daughter, who is almost 7, and she is a wonder to behold — high self esteem, respectful of herself and therefore others, values driven, curious, smart, free spirited.
Book Guy and Davd, thank you both for your answers to my question. You know, at first I thought “unschooling” was a typo, because seeing it with “homeschooling” was confusing me, but after reading the answers you two provided, I think a light bulb went off. Many, many, many years ago (decades, gulp!) I read a book by Ivan Ilyich (sp?) that was about “unschooling.” In fact, I think that might have been the title. So as soon as I made that connection, I realized what the word meant.
You have an interesting blog here, BookGuy. I am a political junkie, too — from the very liberal standpoint. I haven’t quite figured out where you are coming from politically, the blog seems both conservative and liberal — maybe that’s a good thing!
Anyway, nice to meet you, and good luck with the blog!
From a 50-something (ok, ok, 60 in July!) political *and* book blogger, also located in New Jersey. 🙂
Kathy, Davd, it took me a while to respond because I wanted to do it right. Here’s my full answer Kathy: http://politicalbooks.us/2010/04/28/home-schooling-vs-unschooling/
As for where I’m coming from politically, I sometimes say Conservative or Libertarian, but at the same time I’m moving more and more away from any labels at all. In my head I think perhaps a new word, Neo-Jeffersonian. You see, Thomas Jefferson was more than a founding father, he was the founding father of civil liberties. He’s the guy that fought for seperation of church and state (something the right doesn’t like) and a limited government (which the left doesn’t like). He also wanted a universal draft and free college for everyone, which means even though he wanted a limited government, he didn’t want a useless or toothless one.
So, how about this, on fiscal matters I’m pro-growth. On social matters, I’m pro-liberty. On everything in between, I’m pro-Jefferson.
P.S. Jersey Represented! Hell Yeah! Jersey! Jersey! Jersey! 😛