For the casual reader of history, Joseph Ellis' vignettes on some of the most important events of the early American Republic not only give us great insight into the fundamental elements of our American Democracy, but also the stories demonstrate how the personalities of the "founding brothers" shaped the key dimensions of our current system of government.
I am intrigued with Ellis' contention that it was a finite group of men who were in close relationship with one another that influenced the events of the early Republic. Within that context, we can see how the larger themes emerge and how the personalities of those involved shaped those themes.
Ted Halstead is one of the all to rare voices representing the next generation of politcal thought in America. Halsted., a baby buster, finds himself equally disgusted by the politics of both political parties and their extreme political bases.
Radical Center is an apt term because the proposals he offers are far from the mundane centrist politics that have been incapable of sustaining a true political movement (ex. Perot's Reform Party). His ideas marry some of the most salient and relevant ideas from both ends of the political spectrum namely the left's belief that government should provide a safety net to those who are most in need and the right's commitment to market forces;… Read more
An Aristocracy of Everyone is absolutely the best book I have read on the culture wars and its implications for education. Dr. Barber provides a reasoned and well researched critique of both the left and the right in his analysis. His main conclusion that ultimately what is lost in the debate over what is and should be taught in our schools is the fundamental lesson that an appreciation for democracy and civic engagement is the most critical outcome for our education system.
Barber, along with others such as Harry Boyte, Robert Putnam, and Robert Bellah are the key leaders in the movement to revitalize our American Democracy and the need for greater civic engagement.
