The Politics of Plunder: Misgovernment in Washington

Doug Bandow

Transaction Publishers, Jan 1, 1990 - Political Science - 507 pages

This slashing critique charges that the federal government and interest groups have badly mismanaged the political process for private ends. Transcending conventional ideologies, Bandow sees the root of the problem as our failure to honor the Founding Fathers' intention to establish a limited government with severely circumscribed powers in all areas. People abuse power; it is human nature. Only limited state authority will keep the political process from disintegrating into petty fighting among factions, each competing for its own limited self-interest. The demise of the original restraints has created an overgrown federal government that is ever more wasteful, inefficient, and unjust.

Doug Bandow spares no sacred cows. He considers state interference in the free market responsible for an ethic of legalized theft, which allows interest groups to use the state to enrich themselves through subsidies, competitive restrictions, and other protectionist measures. He sees a judiciary that has aided the other branches of government in manipulating human conduct and restricting personal freedom for both liberal and conservative reasons. And in foreign policy he sees the development of an interventionist consensus, whereby Washington attempts to remake foreign nations in its image through military intervention and foreign aid, with disastrous results.

"The Politics of Plunder "is written by an insider who combines theoretical and analytical skill with practical political experience. Bandow served in the most conservative administration of recent years yet freely criticizes the nostrums of the Right. He is an evangelical Christian yet dislikes the tactics of the Religious Right. His unique background--campaign worker, lawyer, presidential aide, magazine editor, policy analyst, and journalist--enables him to go far beyond the usual Washington commentary. Bandow's objective is to develop a new political perspective that transcends both conservative and liberal boundaries and emphasizes individual liberty, skepticism of state power, and tolerance of others. Those interested in the world of ideas will find this an accessible, practical guide to libertarian thought. Those interested in the world of public policy will find here a detailed discussion of scores of recent controversies.

Contents

• Do Values Matter?: 3
• Government by What Values?: 11
• Exploiting National Resources: 17
• Does Freedom Matter?: 25
• Interest Group Heaven: 26
• The Real Story of Thanksgiving: 32
• 13: 38
• Hysteria Over PACmania: 45
• One for All and All for: 93
• 45: 100
• Your Congress at Work: 104
• Senator Establishment: 110
• ONeills Destructive Legacy: 117
• Deficits Forever: 125
• We Need an Economic Bill of Rights: 133
• A Simple Solution to the Debt: 139
• Endless Subsidies: 145
• Merchant Armada Sinks Oceans of Money: 147
• Another Handout for Big Business: 150
• Close Down the EDA: 152
• The SBASlash Business Assistance: 154
• The Sack of Washington: 156
• The NASA White Elephant: 158
• Mass Transit Robbery: 160
• Subsidizing the Growth of Government: 162
• Farming for Dollars: 165
• A Sweet Deal Gone Sour: 174
• The Sunflower Crisis: 176
• Uncle Sams Legalized Larceny: 178
• Subsidizing Rural America: 180
• Why 2 Billion Oranges Will Rot in the Fields: 183
• Selling Off the State: 187
• Parochialism Reigns: 189
• Sell Amtrak: 190
• Postal Service Doesnt Deserve Monopoly: 192
• Taxing Problems: 195
• Repeal the Withholding Tax: 197
• TruthinTaxing: 198
• The Regulatory Monster: 201
• The Terrible Ten: 204
• Three Cheers for Airline Deregulation: 212
• Inefficient at Best: 213
• A Kinder Gentler CAFE Standard: 215
• Bankings Regulatory Crisis: 217
• Abolish the Federal Censorship Commission: 219
• Drop the Cable Monopoly: 221
• The Energy Uncrisis: 225
• Doomed Again: 227
• Deregulate Natural Gas: 229
• Lets Lease the Oceans: 231
• Congresss Nuclear Agenda: 232
• Cleaning Up America: 235
• Toxic Solutions to Toxic Problems: 237
• Preserving Americas Wilderness: 239
• Sacred Cows Home on the Range: 241
• Free Trade is Fair Trade: 243
• Free the Japanese Autos: 245
• Drop the Steel Quotas: 247
• Kill the Textile Bill: 249
• No Protection for Semiconductors: 250
• Casein for America: 252
• Is Dukakis Really as Dumb as He Sounds?: 254
• Market Manipulation: 257
• Curbing Raiders is Bad for Business: 259
• The LBO Bugaboo: 261
• Decriminalize Insider Trading: 263
• Judging America: 265
• The Judicial Imperative: 267
• Bork and Original Intent: 274
• Judicial Imperialism: 276
• Reaping the Judicial Whirlwind: 278
• End Life Tenure for Judges: 280
• The Lawyers Game: 283
• The Nine Lives of the LSC: 285
• A Legal Monopoly?: 287
• The Helping Hand of Uncle Sam: 293
• Jobless by Decree: 295
• Preserving the Freedom to Work at Home: 297
• Its Time to Repeal DavisBacon: 299
• Putting People Out of Work: 300
• Congresss JobKilling Attack on Business: 302
• Paying for the Eternal Free Lunch: 304
• ChildCare Politics: 306
• Whose Health?: 309
• The Duty to Dieand Pay: 311
• Dismantle the Doctors Monopoly: 313
• Education for Sale: 315
• Making Students Pay Their Fair Share: 317
• Homes for America: 321
• Challenging Rent Control: 330
• Sell Off Uncle Sams Public Housing: 332
• The Consumer Protection Racket: 335
• Help Consumers Dont Need: 337
• Legalize Saccharin: 339
• Dont Ban Cigarette Ads: 341
• AntiSocial Security: 345
• The False Promise of Head Start: 351
• Hands Across Americaor in Americas Pockets?: 353
• A Time to Give: 355
• Civil Rights for Whom?: 357
• Racial Quotas for Congress?: 359
• Reconsidering Runyon: 360
• The Fraudulent Civil Rights Act of 1987: 362
• This Ruling Threatens the Rights of Women: 364
• Comparable Worth is Worthless: 365
• DoubleEdged Rights: 367
• Social Potpourri: 369
• When to Resist?: 371
• Fighting the Porn Wars: 373
• Penalties More Shocking Than the Crime: 375
• Is Death the Answer?: 378
• The Enduring Liberal Panacea: 380
• Refocus the Drug War: 382
• An Honorable CO in the War on Drugs: 383
• Buying Culture: 385
• Moral Rights for Whom?: 387
• Sports Play in Fields of Government: 389
• The Global Playground: 393
• The Bipartisan Charade: 395
• When to Intervene?: 399
• The Legacy of Vietnam: 401
• Fewer Guns for Fewer Commitments: 403
• Get the Superpowers Out of Europe: 405
• Cut Koreas Umbilical Cord: 413
• Reagans Senseless Persian Gulf War: 414
• Break Relations with South Africa: 416
• Leaving the Third World Alone: 419
• Learning the Limits of Intervention: 421
• Good Riddance to Mozambiques Machel: 423
• Preparing for a New Jungle War?: 425
• Good People Bad Cause: 426
• The Terrorist Temptation: 429
• Bombs Away: 433
• Ban Nuclear Tests: 435
• A Cold Draft: 437
• America Has No Need for a New Draft: 440
• Its Time to Drop Draft Registration: 443
• War in Color: 447
• Disunited Nations: 451
• The Dangerous Side of the UN: 453
• America Turns Away the World of Refugees: 455
• How Many Embassies Do We Need?: 458
• Foreign Aid or Hindrance?: 461
• Foreign Aid Prescriptions: 463
• The Marshall Plan Myth: 469
• The Foreign Aid Panacea: 471
• Starving the Third World: 473
• Mengistus Policies Responsible for Famine: 475
• Aid Money That Just Buys Guns: 477
• U S Aid is a Costly Disaster: 481
• Subsidizing our Adversaries: 485
• No More Aid for Mobuto: 487
• Robbery at the International Development Banks: 489
• Reagans IDA Boondoggle: 492
• Bankings International Black Hole: 494
• Index: 497

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Politics of Plunder: Misgovernment in Washington
• Author: Doug Bandow
• Publisher: Transaction Publishers, 1990
• ISBN: 1412838428, 9781412838429
• Length: 507 pages
• Subjects: Political Science / American Government / General