Is "Common Sense" by Glenn Beck any good?

Common Sense
by Glenn Beck
167 pages

Disclaimer: I am still new to politics and I currently have a constitutional/libertarian bent. Glenn Beck's Common Sense is divided into 2 parts. The first is his take on what is happening politically in present day United States, and the second is Thomas Paine's original Common Sense pamphlet. Glenn's version is inspired by Paine's.

Glenn Beck's Common Sense

Glenn's book, like most conservative talk radio, is more about deploring big government and touting conservative principles than saying precisely what he wants changed and how. He makes it clear that we are spending way too much money, but doesn't show exactly where our money is being spent, and specifically what should be cut.

Glenn points out how social security and medicare parts A, B, and D are ponzi schemes that we can't afford, but offers briefly as a solution

"Remember, inverting the population pyramid of the Ponzi scheme is the only way out- although it's an idea that common sense should tell you would only delay the inevitable, since all of those children will also retire someday." pg 29.

Well if that isn't likely, as he implies, what then? Should we end them? If so, how should we end them? All at once or phase them out? Glenn doesn't offer solutions. Why doesn't he just come out and say that these programs need to be ended, since that is what he is implying? All I can come up with is ratings. What would happen to Glenn Beck's ratings if every day on his shows he promoted organizations or legislation that would completely defund these programs? Yet he turns this exact same logic against politicians.

"Social Security and Medicare have been called the 'third rail' of American politics- touch it and you're shot at reelection is fried. That's too bad because the truth is that any serious discussion about these programs will have to address three key things, none of which are appealing to anyone: tax hikes, reductions in benefits, and delayed retirement. Politicians don't win reelection by talking about those things, so they do nothing- and they rationalize it by saying that if they lose an election they won't be able to keep fighting for you and your children. I think common sense tells us what to make of that kind of logic." (pg 30)

Glenn describes the many problems with our complex tax code, and I think his solution is a flat tax. Apparently it worked for the Russians, so that's that. Part of the book is dedicated to accountability in public office with an interesting description of how politicians morph voting districts to suit their agenda (gerrymandering). His solution is term limits on all public servants. He rails against progressivism, which, as he defines it, seems like another word for leftist statism. He points out the absurdity of government intervention regarding the environment, but doesn't bother to actually debunk the need for environmental regulations. Glenn talks about the 2nd Amendment and property and privacy rights and offers rebuttals for readers to use, and then discusses religion.

This book is a wake up call, a call to action, whatever that action is. There are two and a half pages containing the 9 principles of the "9/12 Project" (based on the premise that we felt the U.S. changed for the better after the attacks on Sept. 11), "The 12 Values" (sincerity, honesty, reverence, etc), and a reading list of other books.

While there are many eye-opening facts in the book, I would really only recommend this book to people who have no idea of what is going on in our country politically. And at that, I would just borrow it from somebody else, as Glenn himself suggests on his radio show.

Thomas Paine's Common Sense

I won't lie. T.P.'s Common Sense is kind of a dry read for today's standards. If you are like me, you'll need a dictionary to understand what many of the sentences even mean. I do like the beginning where he describes the origin and role of government. He uses deserted-on-an-island types of examples, and takes us back to some of the basics. He discusses the weaknesses of the constitution of England at the time and derides monarchies and hereditary succession.

He then shares his thoughts on American affairs, which is an argument for why the colonies should separate from England. Some of the reasons are the sheer size of the continent in relation to the island of England, the continent's vast resources, maintaining neutrality in European wars, and the physical distance from each other. Many of his arguments do seem like common sense, but others are less clear to me, as I don't have much knowledge of the history.

It is worth the purchase price to have a hard copy of Paine's version alone, though the text is also freely available online. While I don't question his sincerity, I am slightly skeptical of Mr. Beck's intent with this book. This seems like a half-hearted attempt to profit off of his own popularity and the popularity of Paine's version. As I've noticed listening to his radio show, Beck is very taken with being a bestseller and though he denies any comparisons, he clearly is branding himself as a modern founding father. Compare that to Paine who wrote anonymously and donated the proceeds to the Continental Army.

I currently largely agree with many of Beck's ideas, though I would be more inclined to support someone who influences the liberty movement more directly, such as Ron Paul. I recommend "A Revolution" instead. My review of that book: Is Ron Paul's "A Revolution" any good?