Saving Freedom: We Can Stop America's Slide Into Socialism

Saving Freedom, by Republican Senator Jim DeMint from South Carolina, is chock-full of arguments for conservatism, capitalism, and free markets. The book does a fine job of laying out a coherent conservative philosophy, much as Mark Levin's Liberty & Tyranny did earlier this year. What separates Saving Freedom is its positive tone and its proposal for an affirmative agenda that, should Republicans pick it up and run with it, will give them an opportunity to clearly distinguish themselves from the Democrats' agenda of big government, big spending and big taxes. Where Liberty & Tyranny was a fighting manifesto that clearly defined the sides in the battle for the future of our country, Senator DeMint has laid out a plan that could do for 2010 what Newt Gingrich did in 1994: provide a unified voice and message for Republicans that will allow them to turn sleepy, mid-term elections into a loud, powerful national campaign. The main value from the book lies with Senator DeMint's action plan, which proposes freedom-based, market-based reforms for education, personal and corporate income taxes, health care, Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. These are some of the biggest issues facing our country over the next half a century, and this plan increases personal and economic freedom, it puts people in charge of their destinies as opposed to enslaving ourselves to the federal government, and it will free money fromt he private sector for entrepreneurship and investment to spur economic growth. This is solid. This is, as the Senator calls it, a freedom plan. Conservatives should read this book, understand the arguments, understand the plan, and communicate to others the reasons why this is a better choice for the future of our country than what the current administration and Congress are proposing. We should rally around Senator DeMint and his plan, because it truly offers a real alternative to the far-left Democrats in 2010 and 2012.

Saving Freedom by Jim DeMint is a MUST read. While I am in my mid-fifties and a Vietnam-Era Veteran, I have never seriously followed politics...until now. I am all too aware that this country is going downhill fast! I find myself wondering what "I" can do to stop the direction the country is moving in. Senator DeMint effectively explains to novices like me, what "freedom" looks like in the realm of politics and federal programs. He also explains what we can do as individual citizens to save freedom. As I said before, I am a novice when it comes to politics. To that end I am grateful for the guidance Senator DeMint's book gives me.

U.S. Senator DeMint's book is surprisingly good. It makes the reader believe that maybe some politicians in Washington D.C. actually see the dangers ahead as the current administration rushes the nation toward full-fledged Socialism. The American public is being given the proverbial "bums rush" out the door of freedom into the slavery of a socialist, fascist "Big Brother" state. Most American voters don't even realize it because they don't understand the terms or the concepts. The good senator is a master of explaining the problem. He makes wonderful use of metaphors in explaining how the "Siren Song of Socialism" works. His "Fox and the Gingerbread Man" is a wonderful way of explaining the dangers of gradually giving up one's freedom to the crafty fox or the wolf in sheep's clothing. He also tells stories about his own youth and uses favorite incidents from the Andy Griffith Show to explain some of his own beliefs. While this approach may seem corny to many readers, it actually works very well. It makes the difficult easy to explain. It was interesting to read about a small businessman who didn't consider running for political office until age 47 after he'd built a business and life in the real world where he describes the public as looking at two kinds of people--"normal people" and a different breed known as "politicians." Most people had little respect for the latter. It was rare to find a "statesman" among the breed. Before he entered the political stage, he had spent years raising his four kids while his wife remained a "stay at home mom" who filled her free time volunteering for the school board, etc. DeMint also spent considerable time volunteering for his church and other charitable organizations such as the Rotary Club. He learned early that some of the very problems he and his wife were working to solve through their charities were either government caused or greatly aggravated by government policies. He recalls being surprised at this discovery. While there happen to be several other current books on this subject including "Catastrophe", "Common Sense", and "Liberty and Tyranny" by Mark R. Levin, this one is different from the others. First of all it's written by a U.S. Senator with all the experience and the insider understanding of a one of our lawmakers. He admits there is plenty of blame for the current government problems. Both political parties are guilty. They all helped create the bureaucracy that has turned into an insatiable monster that must constantly expand in order to survive. That perspective adds great weight to his thoughts. It also gives the reader a little hope that somebody inside Congress understands the problems we are facing. That is comforting because DeMint does an unusually good job of describing the "Siren Song of Socialism." As in the ancient myth, anyone who follows the irresistible call of the Sirens to their Utopian Island will be devoured. The promises of a Paradise on Earth, simply persuade the unsus

It is quite comforting to read a book written by a U.S. Senator about freedom in America, amidst the rapid expansion of the federal government that is choking the freedom Americans have known. Divided into three parts, Senator DeMint begins in part one by addressing the rise and fall of freedom in America. In part two, he expounds on the principles and institutions of freedom--my favorite chapter is on personal responsibility and freedom. Finally, Senator DeMint discusses the action plans to halt the slide of American freedom into socialism. Bravo to the senator for conveying his message in such a lucid manner and for understanding the true meaning of freedom.

One good result of the current social climate and the issues pressing on America's citizens is increased dialog. The accelerated expansion of the federal government over the past months, starting before the recent White House administration change is waking a sleepy and rather spoiled population to the decline in our freedom. Jim DeMint's informed, accessible, and reasoned book, Saving Freedom is both the call and the equipment most needed by the majority of Americans who still value freedom and reality over tyranny and idealism.