THE LIBERTY AMENDMENTS: Restoring the American Republic by Mark Levin

REVIEWED BY WC
Genre:  Constitutional History
Publisher:  Threshold Editions
Release Date:  August 13, 2013
Pages:  272

About the Book:  For a century, the Statists have steadfastly constructed a federal Leviathan, distorting and evading our constitutional system in pursuit of an all-powerful, ubiquitous central government. The result is an ongoing and growing assault on individual liberty, state sovereignty, and the social compact. Levin argues that if we cherish our American heritage, it is time to embrace a constitutional revival. 

The delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and the delegates to each state’s ratification convention foresaw a time when—despite their best efforts to forestall it—the Federal government might breach the Constitution’s limits and begin oppressing the people. Agencies such as the IRS and EPA and programs such as Obamacare demonstrate that the Framers’ fear was prescient. 

Therefore, the Framers provided two methods for amending the Constitution. The second was intended for our current circumstances—empowering the states to bypass Congress and call a convention for the purpose of amending the Constitution. Levin argues that we, the people, can avoid a perilous outcome by seeking recourse, using the method called for in the Constitution itself. 

The Framers adopted ten constitutional amendments, called the Bill of Rights, that would preserve individual rights and state authority. Levin lays forth eleven specific prescriptions for restoring our founding principles, ones that are consistent with the Framers’ design. His proposals—such as term limits for members of Congress and Supreme Court justices and limits on federal taxing and spending—are pure common sense, ideas shared by many. They draw on the wisdom of the Founding Fathers—including James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and numerous lesser-known but crucially important men—in their content and in the method for applying them to the current state of the nation. 

Now is the time for the American people to take the first step toward reclaiming what belongs to them. The task is daunting, but it is imperative if we are to be truly free.

WC's Review:  Any book by the renowned Mark Levin deserves five stars. However, this comprehensive study of the failures of recent court decisions which altered the historic intent of our remarkable document is weighty. The reader has to possess a solid knowledge of the framers' purpose in composing a mandate whose primary function was to limit the power of the federal government for all time.

The amendment process was an integral function of the constitution. Levin rightly proposes additional amendments exclusively to get America back on track. Good luck with that.

That members of our present government view themselves as sagacious progressive thinkers who know more than our founding fathers, specifically how to manage and control society, is farcical. 
Above all else, Levin emphasizes the return of representative government to the states and to the people. It is not for nothing that Madison, Mason, et al., were adamant about the inclusion of the ninth and tenth amendments.

Excellent book this is. A must read for the student of American history who has become disillusioned with the errant course of our present, and to an equal degree our past, tyrannical governments.

About the Author:  Mark Levin has become one of the hottest properties in Talk radio, his top-rated show on WABC New York is now syndicated nationally by Cumulus Media. He is also one of the top new authors in the conservative political arena. Mark's radio show on WABC in New York City skyrocketed to Number 1 on the AM dial in his first 18 months on the air in the competitive 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM time slot. Mark's book Men in Black was released February 7, 2005 and quickly climbed to Number 3 in the nation on the New York Times Best-Seller list. When your book is endorsed by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, you know you have a winner on your hands. In a short period of time, Mark has become one of the most listened to local radio Talk show hosts in the nation.