Nudge

:Written by one of the Bookworm Patriots:



During the healthcare debate last year, President Obama told the American public they would be able to keep their current healthcare plan if they wanted.  The opposition was quick to point out that insurance companies would be forced to increase premiums because they would lose customers to the Federal government's plan.  This would "nudge" people to the new plan.    

Once the new healthcare bill was passed, some of the 39 separate companies that make up the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association increased their premiums.  The BCBSA insures over 100 million Americans and employs about 1,000 people.  Most of the 100 million individuals are employed by companies who use BCBS to insure their employees.  But because this economic climate is rocky for many companies, their costs must be as low as possible.  When BCBS increased their premiums, some companies left BCBS or opted to provide a plan to their  own employees that was affordable (but with higher out-of-pocket costs to their insured employees).

This is how the Feds nudge you in the direction they want you to go.

Last week was open enrollment for many companies who provide healthcare to their employees.  At the last minute, my wife discovered that her employer opted for a plan that would provide fewer benefits to her and her coworkers because premiums had been increased.  Fortunately, we were able to put her on my plan.  If I was still unemployed (as I had been not long ago), we would have been at the mercy of her employer and upcoming universal healthcare plan (since we are expecting a baby).  For now, we were able to resist the feds attempt to nudge us off of our private healthcare.

Thousands of other Americans have not been so fortunate.  The unemployed, the underemployed, if anyone has a chronic condition that requires insurance to avoid a life of debt - you know that if you lose a certain level of medical coverage, you'll be forced onto the government dole.

Look at the policies that the Obama administration has promoted and the potential to "nudge" you into a certain behavior.

9-12 Videos

Please check our facebook page for video clips of the 9-12 rally!

9-12 Rally

Two of the founders of the future bookwormpatriots.com attended the 9-12 rally in Washington DC this afternoon.  They will be uploading video footage from the event in the coming days.

Thanks to all!

Bookmarks!

Greetings!  We are putting together a massive and interactive book club to be part of the future bookwormpatriots.com.  We will be selling bookmarks to raise funds in order to put this project together for the educational betterment of the American people.  Final pricing and purchasing means ill be available by Monday.  We already have a PayPal account, just in case some of you do not use credit cards. 

This is what the front of the bookmark will look like…

What do you think?

Jefferson

The documentary entitled "Jefferson" is currently airing on the History Channel.  It will be repeated on August 31st at 12:00 pm and 6:00 pm.  Please watch this documentary and comment on any inconsistencies that you have found in your reading on Thomas Jefferson!

How can words define us if their meanings change?

We’d like to spend some time discussing Fascism.  There were a few replies to our post a couple of weeks back that posed the question, “What is Fascism?” Last year, if we were asked that question, we might have responded by saying that Fascism is a far right ideology in which a strong military is a central basis for control both inside and outside of the country. 

All of us can probably agree that historically speaking, some of the most radical policies have been passed in times of war or strife. The New Deal and the Patriot Act are just two examples.  The New Deal caused the depression of the thirties to become the “Great” depression (read New Deal or Raw Deal) and Americans gave up control of their own lives, because they believed their politicians could adequately make their lives better.

When the Patriot Act was introduced, Americans trusted that their government would only intrude on the terrorists.  Do you feel the same way now?  What if some nut job who was associated with the tea parties committed a violent crime, and the entire group was deemed a terrorist organization?  Those who supported the Patriot Act could become the terrorists they so despised, in the eyes of formerly trusted politicians.  Okay, we’ll come back to this is a minute.

Take a look at the illustration below.  In school, we learned that there was only right and left.  We are going to focus on the socialism line for today’s purposes.

Fascism is still on the right, isn’t it?  That’s because there are two different lines.  Fascism cannot hold the same place as Anarchism because it is a socialist policy.

Fascism is manipulated capitalism.  Just like Nazism and Communism, Fascists pick the winners and losers in the economy.  Big business is state-owned with unionized workers, while the small businesses are privatized (sound familiar?).  The purpose of these economic policies is to equalize the citizens.   
Now return to pondering about the times of great strife in America.  It isn’t necessarily accurate to say that Fascists love wars in a physical sense: they love creating war-equivalencies.  The war on hunger, the war on drugs, the war on terrorism, the war on global warming, and the war on healthcare costs all have something in common.  Each of these has been used to tug at the emotions of good Americans, because in times on war we’ll do anything to win!

Over the years the ‘crisis’ or ‘war mentality’ of Fascism has come to mean ‘war’ in a physically violent sense.  Due to the fact that most Conservatives and Republicans are supporters of our military and of military actions, their ideology has become synonymous with Fascism.

We contend that America is no longer the capitalist nation we once were.  America has morphed into a sort of ‘Soft-Fascism.’ If you disagree, just think of how many institutions were taken over by the government in the last three years.

Please purchase Jonah Goldberg’s book Liberal Fascism, you will learn things you didn’t know and be better prepared to speak on the subject of socialism in general.

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What Do YOU Think Fascism is?

Before we post a full review of Liberal Fascism, by Jonah Goldberg, we want to pose a question to our audience: what is Fascism?  How does Fascism differ from Nazism or Communism?  Please feel free to speak your mind.  If you believe that George Bush was a Nazi, like many progressives have accused him of being while he was in office, then that’s your opinion.  Choose your words carefully, because the definition of Fascism has been distorted over a century of progressive revisionism.

We would also like to add that this is intended to be a family-friendly site where people of all ages may visit to learn.  If you use profane language your comments will be deleted.

Thank you to all of our loyal followers!

The Bookworm Patriots

“Arguing With Idiots” by Glenn Beck

Up until the last year and a half, can you remember a time when conservatives and libertarians openly argued their political views with liberals and progressives (other than the few in the media)?  Most conservatives and libertarians have always left political arguments alone and said “live and let live.”  

As progressives move the Overton Window further to the left, those of the politically right-of-center see their country slipping through their fingers.  For so long they have lived virtuous lives; paying the bills, working hard and voting and that was enough to see their children grow into adulthood.  But for the first time in American history, the current adult generation believes their children will have fewer opportunities than they had during their lives.

While taxation does play a part in the general sentiment of what the tea parties (for lack of a better term) stand for, the movement is broadly focused and represents a culmination of factors that everyday Americans are fed up with and have decided to say “ENOUGH.”  Many of these freedom-loving Americans have never imagined that they would find themselves standing side-by-side with fellow Americans holding signs at the nation’s capital but their children’s future is at stake.

These Americans are new to openly spouting their beliefs and, as such, need to be prepared to meet resistance on the battlefield of ideas.  That’s not to say they are stupid by any means; in fact, it’s quite the contrary.  As with anything, debate takes practice.  The truth is that liberals have traditionally been the party who go to rally for “change.”  Nevertheless, Glenn Beck’s recent book Arguing With Idiots is a good introduction to educate these first-time politically-active Americans in defending their beliefs. 

Beck uses his trademark tongue-in-cheek humor to poke fun at both sides of the political aisle in Arguing With Idiots while packing each chapter full of information.  The end of the book is full of citations so when you are done reading Arguing with Idiots, you do not need to cite Glenn as a source – because we all know how that would go in an argument with an idiot.

Arguing With Idiots is original and isn’t dry by any means.  It will make you laugh and you will be left with a newfound knowledge of situations facing our country today.  Anyone new to politics should read this and other books, which will be featured in future weeks.  Knowledge is power and burying your head in the sand does little to help you understand WHY you hold a particular set of beliefs.

“New Deal or Raw Deal” by Burton Folsom

Think back to your days as an American History student.  There was one thing that has always stood out in the majority of classes in high school and college; President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was an important presidential figure, if not the best President this country has ever elected.  Name your top five favorite Presidents.   FDR will probably fall somewhere in your list, unless you have taken the time to analyze his policies and how they have affected the United States.

Three events that many associate with FDR's presidency are the Great Depression, The New Deal and World War II.  FDR is often credited with pulling the United States out of the Great Depression but this is a fallacy perpetuated by progressives and liberals alike.  The New Deal actually exasperated the Great Depression.  Many of the New Deal's programs adversely affected the lower- and middle-classes; the people whom FDR publicly intended to help.

Read about the Agricultural Adjustment Administration in New Deal or Raw Deal, where farmers were actually paid NOT to farm.  Programs like this were eventually deemed unconstitutional after implementation.  Nevertheless, Roosevelt’s policies have arguably damaged the country and that damage persists today.  Remember, Roosevelt pushed for a second bill of rights.

During one of Roosevelt's presidential campaigns, utilizing his public works program (NRA), he had 300,000 workers hired just before the election.  Once he was voted into office, those 300,000 public workers were let go.  Roosevelt used government funds, not to help citizens in the long run, but to stay in power as long as possible.  By targeting key swing states, Roosevelt was able to direct federal dollars to those states.  Even in traditionally Republican states, Roosevelt won re-election.  However, after Roosevelt's death, the US Congress put term limits on the president... Roosevelt wasn't really as popular as the textbooks make him out to be, was he?

Now assimilate this trend from the late thirties and forties to the present day...The American people are tired of excessive spending by Washington bureaucrats… Democrats AND Republicans.  This fall, party contributions by big business and big labor will not determine election winners – the people will.  The people are angry and tired of Washington games and consistently being lied to by politicians.

You MUST read New Deal or Raw Deal.  This book is a careful analysis of the Keynesian policies of the New Deal and the reason those policies have always failed.

67% of Political Class Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction, 84% of Mainstream Disagrees

67% of Political Class Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction, 84% of Mainstream Disagrees

Economists Agree: Stop Dems' Job-Killing Tax Hikes | Republican Leader John Boehner | gopleader.gov

Economists Agree: Stop Dems' Job-Killing Tax Hikes | Republican Leader John Boehner | gopleader.gov

Pete Stark exemplifies reason for term limits!

Pete Stark Raving Mad strikes again
http://michellemalkin.com/2010/08/02/pete-stark-raving-mad-strikes-again/

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Will Washington's Failures Lead To Second American Revolution? - Investors.com

Will Washington's Failures Lead To Second American Revolution? - Investors.com

Rules for Radicals, Saul Alinsky

We read this book in order to get into the entrenched minds of the Obama administration.  It is a fairly well-known fact that Barack Obama is a big fan of Alinsky’s ‘rules’ and utilized them during his community organizing days in Chicago.  Not surprisingly, the pages are full of references to ‘the organizer,’ which bares a unique resemblance to the Obama administration. 

Why does one need to know any of the information in this book?  To be blunt, the audience for whom Saul Alinsky wrote tends to be devoid of any tactful social skills that your everyday problem solver might have.  Those radical personas turn instead to violence, which accomplishes very little (besides, at best, earning yourself a place in history next to Che Guevara).

Initially, this book was a tiresome, irrelevant, rehash of how a typical problem solver would react to unfavorable political or social movements.  Alinsky gave no information that isn’t taught by many responsible parents.  However, that changes once the reader gets into the middle of the book.  The chapters on words and communication were the most enlightening sections.  Alinsky’s depiction of the word ‘ego' elicited visions of Barack Obama as the community organizer.  Alinsky relates experiences to communication, which was very interesting.  However, it contained nothing any sociable individual wouldn’t already understand.
 

Alinsky talks like the typical hippie of his day.  He envisions Moses and God as though they were somehow negotiating with one another.  Alinsky lacks the realization that a Jew like Moses would want to please God, not negotiate for a better deal.

A central flaw in Alinsky’s reasons for political change is that the so-called ‘status quo' is a bad thing.  We don’t deny that it isn’t because change is a universal constant and our world will always have good and bad parts.  But Alinsky says that the ‘have-nots’ (radicals) would be against the status quo, whereas the ‘haves’ desire to maintain it and their power.  Upon closer inspection, the radical’s desire is to change the fundamental structure of the constitution like modern-day progressives.  Alinsky’s ‘haves’ also want to change the ‘status quo’ but they want to take it back to the economic model that the U.S. was founded upon.  It was funny because Rush Limbaugh often describes Barack Obama as a "community agitator," which riles up the left.  However, that’s exactly how Alinsky describes the community organizer. 

In his haste to dramatically change America, Obama has caused a diverse group of citizens to organize WITHOUT a central leader.  This group could be called the tea party or whoever.  Either way, Obama’s Alinsky-esque tactics are backfiring and have created a galvanized group, thus polarizing his radical  movement.  Could this group of ‘have-nots' or 'tea partiers' be considered today’s version of the ‘radical'?  That’s a conversation for another time.

Rules For Radicals is a must-read for those interested in political theory or negotiating.  It presents legitimate ways to negotiate, although they are often shrouded in the cover of racism and class warfare.  Alinsky claims the book is written for neither side of the political aisle, which is debatable.  One thing is certain – this book is perfect for debates for the future book clubs on the upcoming official Bookworm Patriots website!

The Bookworm Patriots.

Progressivism Usurps the Constitution

Massachusetts is now the sixth state to usurp the Constitution in Presidential elections.  Rather than pass a national amendment, our founding documents have been spat upon.   If you’ve visited the link in the previous post, you’ve read that Massachusetts has passed a law that grants the state’s 12 electoral votes to the national popular vote winner.  This law will only take effect if a majority of state’s electoral votes pass similar laws. 

Back in high school, many thought this was a great idea – it gave every individual a voice, right?  WRONG. 

The Massachusetts congress put forth arguments that are truly insignificant.  If the progressives get what they want, those who live in less-populated states will have NO VOICE: Goodbye Rhode Island and the Dakotas.  If the progressives want to have direct Presidential elections, then there is no need for a Senate…and the Senate is a another issue which we can discuss on another day.

In the system the 6 states are trying to setup, the only areas that would truly matter in Presidential elections are the highly populated, mostly progressive states.  In Federalist Paper #68, Alexander Hamilton discusses the election of President, and why it’s dangerous for Him/’Her to be elected by popular vote.  PLEASE read this paper yourself -It will take you 5 – 10 minutes.  These documents should be required reading in 9th grade Civics class, but they are no longer discussed in-depth.

This is the link to the article detailing Massachusetts new law.  Click on the book cover to purchase the Federal Papers (They’re cheap).We will have more on this later this week.

The Bookworm Patriots

Mass. Legislature approves plan to bypass Electoral College - Local News Updates - MetroDesk - The Boston Globe

The republic takes another beating... We will have much more on this during the week, as Alexander Hamilton and James Madison warned against this in support of state representation.

Mass. Legislature approves plan to bypass Electoral College - Local News Updates - MetroDesk - The Boston Globe

“Liberal Fascism,” Jonah Goldberg – Preview

Glenn Beck is almost comedic is his dislike for former President Woodrow Wilson.  Most viewers find it entertaining just to watch him squirm – supporters and haters alike.  Beck’s disgust becomes a serious  matter when the brutal truth is brought to light by Jonah Goldberg, in this in-depth look at Fascism, Nazism, and Communism..

The things that Woodrow Wilson said and did has the ability to turn hair white!  It’s surprising to think this has happened in America – most of us were simply never told the truth.

Our full review will be up soon.

BWP

NewZeal.blogspot.com

Subscribe to the blog at this address.Trevor Loudon knows his stuff! newzeal.blogspot.com/2010/07/socialist-journolistas.html

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Obama May be going back on his pledge...are you surprised?

http://www.atr.org/smallbusiness.html?content=5247

Glenn Beck’s “The Overton Window”

When exploring potential catastrophic scenarios, those with a limited worldview probably would not think to look to fictional writings.  Instead, they would compile a list of horrific events that have happened in the past, use those events to layer one on top of the others and arrive at new conclusions.  However, those who are truly searching for new ways to halt future terrorism must also go to out-of-the-box thinkers.  Authors like Vince Flynn and Tom Clancy have been used in the past to serve this purpose.  Many times, these authors write about events that seem to be so far outside the realm of possibility, arguing their existence is considered by some to be a “conspiracy theory.” 

…It looks like Glenn Beck is the latest visionary to join their distinguished ranks.

The Overton Window is one of these out-of-the-box possibilities.  It examines facts and overlays them as a fictional story.  Beck’s first thriller, which he calls “faction” because much of the story is fact-based, was thoroughly enjoyed by this reader.  The last chapter of the novel looks at a handful of the facts that are included throughout the book, as well as offers citations for these facts.  

The story follows a young man named Noah.  Noah was born with a silver spoon in hand and, like the majority of young people today, believes the government is his oyster – that he is entitled to anything and everything.  It isn’t until a beautiful girl named Molly shakes him out of his proverbial coma that he can begin to see the other worldview. 

Many Americans today could find Molly amongst “tea party” rallies at any given location across the country.  She represents a combination of many of those everyday Americans deemed “racist extremists” by the media.  Beck has a unique gift in his ability to tell a story that sometimes pulls at the reader’s heartstrings or causes adrenaline to surge through their body as if watching a suspense film.

The Overton Window is a visionary thriller that cause skeptics of the tea party movement to look at the unlikely, and plead with the extreme right not to take it too far.  Beck invokes the writings of our founders throughout the book to an extent that will force the reader to compare today’s politician to yesterday’s, and one cannot help but wish for yesterday’s principled politician to return. 

Documents show media plotting to kill stories about Rev. Jeremiah Wright | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

Documents show media plotting to kill stories about Rev. Jeremiah Wright The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

Does anyone still think the mainstream news organizations weren't/aren't protecting Obama? This is not surprising, but some of these revelations are pretty shocking.

Breitbart.tv » Biden: The Tea Party Not Racist

Breitbart.tv » Biden: The Tea Party Not Racist

Perhaps this was one of Biden's better gaffs, but his apparent sincerity is much appreciated.

Freakonomics

Welcome to the blog for The Bookworm Patriots and the first book review!  The first book we will be reviewing is Freakonomics.
The book pulls you in from the start.  Levitt and Dubner have a unique ability to challenge the reader’s perception that has been confined to ‘the cover of a book,’ which pushes the reader to look at relationships from other perspectives. 

Using statistical analysis, the authors examine the following, sometimes controversial, relationships:

- Abortion leading to reduction in crime
- The black and white gap
- Sumo wrestlers and real estate agents
- Guns and swimming pools: which is more dangerous?
- The reason drug dealers are rich but still live with their moms

Some of the conclusions may upset readers but many are turned on their heads, allowing them to look at some forgone conclusions from new points of view.  That reason alone is enough to justify reading "Freakonomics."

Far off election not looking good for Bamster

Hotair.com/archives/2010/07/15/ppp-obama-palin-tied-4646-in-2012-polling/

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Evo

up and running with evo!

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Welcome Back!

We are still finalizing details with regards to the formation of Bookworm Patriots LLC, but wanted to let you know what to expect when we officially launch the blog.

Reviews: 

  The Overton Window 

  Glenn Beck

  Freakonomics 

  Steven Levitt, Stephen Dubner

  Rules for Radical 

  Saul Alinsky

You may notice that the last title, in particular, doesn’t quite fit the mold of the first two.  We believe that to be secure in one’s individual beliefs, one must be open to learning about differing viewpoints.  Since reading Rules For Radicals, we not only are more secure in our own beliefs, but can see that the Obama administration bases their revolutionary politics in this novel…More on that book coming soon!

We will also spend certain weeks or months featuring a specific topic; history, economics, etc.  We will be securing historical publications and cross-referencing them with current texts.  When we find instances of revisionism, we will let you know.

The Bookworm Patriots.

Welcome!!!

Welcome to the blog for The Bookworm Patriots, the owners of Bookworm Patriots LLC.  Our website is currently being developed by Mark Michael Designs and we will be bringing you updates as the website progresses!  On this blog, we will be discussing current headlines and reviewing literature, which will later become part of our homepage.   

BookwormPatriots.com will be an innovative and new way to learn your history, political theory and connect with readers.  Those searching for reliable historical literature will be able to locate it on our site with the help of user reviews.  We will neutralize revisionist history by cross-referencing various historical works and identifying outliers.  More importantly, users will be able to connect current events with history.  Our goal is to not only stop the progression of revisionist history but to also learn from past events that we have long forgotten.  We have become apathetic in love for our nation and take freedom for granted.  With your help, we will get the nation involved once again.  This will all be accomplished with the input of those who join BookwormPatriots.com (at no cost).

Each registered user of Bookworm Patriots will have the ability to form book clubs, arrange live video meetings, create a virtual bookshelf... and much more!  Americans are once again on fire to learn about their history and play a role in the direction of the nation.  We, as an organization,  have formed to help them and get back to the principles on which this great nation was founded!

The Bookworm Patriots