Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff: A Libertarian Manifesto

by Matt Kibbe

In this essential manifesto of the new libertarian movement, New York Times bestselling author and president of FreedomWorks Matt Kibbe makes a stand for individual liberty and shows us what we must do to preserve our freedom.

Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff is a rational yet passionate argument that defends the principles upon which America was founded—principles shared by citizens across the political spectrum. The Constitution grants each American the right to self-determination, to be protected from others whose actions are destructive to their lives and property. Yet as Kibbe persuasively shows, the political and corporate establishment consolidates its power by infringing upon our independence—from taxes to regulations to spying—ultimately eroding the ideals, codified in law, that have made the United States unique in history.

Kibbe offers a surefire plan for reclaiming our inalienable rights and regaining control of our lives, grounded in six simple rules:

 Don’t hurt people: Free people just want to be left alone, not hassled or harmed by someone else with an agenda or designs over their life and property. Don’t take people’s stuff: America’s founders fought to ensure property rights and our individual right to the fruits of our labors. Take responsibility: Liberty takes responsibility. Don’t sit around waiting for someone else to solve your problems. Work for it: For every action there is an equal reaction. Work hard and you’ll be rewarded. Mind your own business: Free people live and let live. Fight the power: Thanks to the Internet and the decentralization of knowledge, there are more opportunities than ever to take a stand against corrupt authority.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Economics, Audiobook, History, Sociology

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 29, 2013

About the author

Matthew B. "Matt" Kibbe is the President and CEO of FreedomWorks, a position he has held since 2004. He originally joined the organization (previously known as Citizens for a Sound Economy) as a policy analyst in 1986. He previously worked as Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Dan Miller (R-FL), Senior Economist at the Republican National Committee (where he resigned in protest when George H. W. Bush violated his no new taxes pledge), Director of Federal Budget Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Managing Editor of Market Process, an academic economics journal published by the Center for the Study of Market Processes at George Mason University.

Kibbe has been published in publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, USA Today, RedState.com, America Spectator and Reason Magazine. On television, Kibbe has appeared on MSNBC’s The Dylan Ratigan Show, MSNBC’s Hardball, FOX News’ Fox & Friends, FOX News’ Glenn Beck, NBC’s The Today Show, FOX News’ America's Newsroom, CSPAN, FOX News’ Neil Cavuto, and FOX Business Network’s Happy Hour.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I don’t generally consider myself a libertarian, the author makes some excellent arguments. I was surprised to learn just how much presidents of both political parties have abused their power. From JFK (who with Attorney General RFK authorized the wiretap of Martin Luther King to get dirt on him because he was considered "the most dangerous Negro in America") to Nixon (who used the FBI and IRS to go after his enemies) to Clinton, Bush and of course Obama, it's obvious that the power of our government to intimidate, manipulate, and harass Americans who oppose the actions of government is tremendous. This is very scary.

As Jonathan Turley, a Constitutional Law Professor at George Washington University who supported Obama in both 2008 and 2012 recently said,
“You know, I’ve said it before, Barack Obama is really the president Richard Nixon always wanted to be. You know, he’s been allowed to act unilaterally in a way that we’ve fought for decades.”

For the liberals out there who won't listen to anything that isn't endorsed by the NY Times, I have a suggestion. Try listening to viewpoints that don't mirror what you already think you know. You might not agree and that's fine, but you just might learn something and open your mind to some new ideas. As the saying goes, if you always agree with what another person is saying, then one of you is superfluous. Of course, many adhere to another expression: “Ignorance is bliss.” Until, of course, it isn't.

[Patrick Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020-06-03 - I read this about a year or so ago, put in next to my desk to write a review, then before I could think about it again, it was buried and work just kept me from getting back to it. Just uncovered it and made a few minutes to write this.

Starts off with a great quote from Friedrich Hayek's "Why I am not a conservative" chapter in his book Constitution of Liberty. Hayek is a favorite of Kibbe's and it shows throughout the book. that's a good thing. There are also many quotes and uses of the ideas of Ludwig Mises, the man who is responsible for turning Hayek from Social Democrat to free market liberal - that's an even better thing.

I must say, I love the title. Perhaps it is a bit "preachy" but it is still the key idea of what libertarians, classical liberals, freedom advocates are all about. More people need to internalize that key idea, especially understanding that government is really there ONLY to enforce that idea, when people screw up and break it. All other aspects of government just give government powers that hurt us. This book plays that key idea out in many policy issues, how they played out in Kibbe's life, and hopefully how it could play out in yours too.

The book was published in 2014, on the tail end of the Tea Party movement's success. Unfortunately, the movement has petered out with the election of Trump, the infiltration of too many cultural conservatives, the watering down of the resolve of the politicians elected with major Tea Party help, the constant attacks and disinformation from the mainstream media and many other reasons.

Matt Kibbe has moved on from heading FreedomWorks, which was a key advocate of Tea Party principles and success to co-found www.freethepeople.org where he does a wonderful interview show, writes, speaks and produces some very creative videos, comics, and other things to help move the culture in a more freedom loving direction.

Neat book to get to know the ideas, know Matt and have a deeper appreciation for a better society.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book I found while browsing, and the cover caught my eye and my interest. Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff sounds great. I even read the introduction, and was caught up in what Kibbe describes as the rules of liberty: (1) don't hurt people, (2) don't take their stuff, (3) take responsibility, (4) work for it, (5) mind your own business, and (6) fight the power. I agree with all of these rules but not, I found upon reading the book, in the way the author means these rules.

Kibbe starts out reasonable, and then his writing drowns in unsubstantiated claims and conspiracy theories. Much of the book was a sickening combination of horrifying and amusing considering what is now going on in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Just about everything this author is trying to accuse the Obama administration of (which I don't believe based on this book; he's offered no evidence and not even a compelling case for the possible existence of evidence) the Trump-Pence administration and their Republican-controlled Congress are now poised to actually do.

If I could give this book 0 stars, I would. It's not worth the paper it's written on, let alone the time I spent to read it, and it will likely be going in the trash because it's not worth the space on my bookshelf either. Seriously, skip it. There have got to other books on your to-read list more worth your time.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I imagine (and hope!)I have a different idea of libertarianism than Mr. Kibbe does, even if he WAS once fellow Dead Head. For one thing, Ayn Rand makes me gag. Her pronouncements on Native Americans are as asinine as, alike, and akin to Adolf Hitler's. (Now, how's THAT for hurting people and taking their stuff!) She's not an American writer, she's a transplanted Russian, so I tend to view all her judgments about what makes a "great American" with a big shaker of table salt. And people who gush over her seem to not understand just how boring her books can be, and how different she actually was by her living, than the philosophy "they" think they get from her stuff. Anyway this isn't a review of Ayn Rand, I did that before and plugged it, since I trashed all the yuck books I shelved here from this webpage. So when I read gushing tributes to how her work so marvelously turned someone around and all, I smirk, and wipe my sleeve.
Another gummi worm stuck in my craw is how closely he aligns himself with Republicans, and not the Libertarian party per se. If anything has been proven these last twelve or sixteen years or so, it is how culpable both parties have been in steering the ship of state toward irrecoverable deficit and military adventurism, and none of the "rising stars" he touts in the midsection of his book - the phony "interview" he constructed from phone calls or pastiche of speeches- have any the least personal appeal to me but Rand Paul, who despite his wonderful attempt to cram reason down the throats of the WarMeisters with his "drone fillibuster" makes no bones about the possibility that he, too, would like to sell his soul to sit in the big hot-seat of Earthly Power, the POTUS place, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Wash. DC. I rather suspect any and everyone with that ambition, and I suspect most normal Americans do too, by now, given the excesses of its last two residents and their contempt for the philosophy of the book's title. Now (2014) we have a murderer for a president, a thug for an attorney general, we've allowed the last two before those ones (as war criminals) to walk without accountability, thanks to the current one, and so who can blame Americans for feeling cynical about purported "leaders" and where they intend to take us?
OK I will grant him a few points for basically being a political ally on a lot of terms, but, he certainly does not speak for every civil libertarian, he is cozy with many of the fat asses who still dominate Republican politics (even if they are "the right" ones)- and he ignores some very crucial points of modern libertarianism, glossing over or ignoring such things as: Federal confiscation of property in drug war proceedings (while he vents on eminent domain) and even the war on drugs itself, under which there are two mental states allowable (only) by federal law: drunk, or sober (stoned thinking ala Andrew Weil/Carl Sagan is a priori definitely not approved!) and which more or less gets to the root of things- can the government tell you what to think or even control how you think? But he passes right over it with the immediacy of a buzz-cut haircut.
I see the potential of where the symbolic liberties inherent in the "signpost to new space" with which the Grateful Dead might have taken America in a "new direction" as slipping away year by year, the more people think Washington is going to support where those ideas might go, the more misplaced ideals Americans, and esp. young ones, are going to have, and the less any of us have to do with the establishment figures of either major political party, the better off this country will be in the long run. It had a window of opportunity pre-9-11, but it's been usurped by a mentality of "security-state" that has replaced Americans' original fearlessness and inquisitive natures with security sitting atop a global empire network of military might and remote imperial base camps. Don't forget to "collect-it-all!"

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's difficult to rate this book. To be sure, I think very highly of Matt Kibbe and this book wasn't all that bad. He told good stories, made goods points, and highlighted a number of problems with government run amok. He also included a number of quotes from those like Senator Rand Paul, Senator Ted Cruz, and others. I can't really say there was anything in this book I disagreed with, or felt was a poorly made argument.

I think the problem for me is the title. I had assumed that something called "Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff: A Libertarian Manifesto" would have come across more as a manifesto. The book seemed to be slightly autobiographical in the beginning, and then several chapters of rants against intrusive government. I anticipated it being more organized, making points and counterpoints regarding the essential ideas of liberty.

I still think this would be a great book for a upper level high schooler or college freshman or sophomore just starting to question our government. It's easy to read, informative, and certainly would get someone unfamiliar with the liberty movement thinking. Not that Matt Kibbe is too basic for me, but perhaps "Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff" is.

[Argawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was easy to read and understand for any beginner wanting to learn about the government they're under. Even if you don't like politics this book makes a lot of good points that make sense to anyone that values freedom.

[Carol Apple · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit I chose this book mostly because I liked the title – at least the “Don’t Hurt People and Don’t Take Their Stuff” part. I do not feel quite as warm and fuzzy about the sub-title: A Libertarian Manifesto. I just don’t love the word “manifesto.” It seems vaguely threatening and yet pretentious, maybe because I associate it with the rants of crazy fanatics. But a manifesto is simply a clear statement of purpose and intent and my unreasonable distaste for the word did not in the least interfere with my enjoyment of Mr. Kibbe’s excellent book. I hereby add Don’t Hurt People and Don’t Take Their Stuff to my virtual library on the freedom shelf. Also on that shelf of honor are several of the authors Kibbe refers to in the book: Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Hayek, Ayn Rand, Frederick Bastiat, and several other intellectual powerhouses of the philosophy of freedom.

There is always room for one more book on the subject. With the wind of collectivism and tyranny blowing with hurricane force against the fortress of freedom, we true believers who are holding down the fort can always use reinforcements. We are always on the defense because freedom does not use aggression or initial force to control others. Okay the American and French revolutions were violent and plenty forceful, but if those in power had not messed with people’s rights to life, liberty, and property, no one would have been hurt. Free people much prefer to mind their own business and limit their political action to persuasion by appeals to reason and if necessary, to self defense.

Matt Kibbe is a good writer and a fiery communicator, a regular Tom Paine for the 21st century. His contributions to the cause of individual freedom are twofold: he brings the case for freedom to where it belongs – smack dab in the middle of the messy chaotic present, and he gives us that manifesto, which I will get to in a moment. Kibbe shares a cute story about the origin of his Libertarian philosophy: it all began with the Rush album 2112, which he bought in 1977 when he was 13. I was a musical theater nerd in my younger years and never paid much attention to pop and rock music, but I figured hey, better late than never. I found 2112 on YouTube and listened to the whole thing. Yeah. I can see how a teenage boy could get swept up in the story of a creative kid getting tromped on and repressed by the high priests of the controlling collective. I can now appreciate the guitar music but still can’t get into the screaming vocals.

But even if you are a rebellious teenager or a rock group who wants to make music your record company doesn’t like, Kibbe points out that freedom does not mean anarchy. Even freedom has rules and there are more than the two in the book title:

1. Don’t hurt people.
2. Don’t take their stuff.
3. Take responsibility
4. Be willing to work for it.
5. Mind your own business. Live your own life and let others live theirs.
6. Fight the power. But not with violence. See rule #1.

Kibbe goes into the history of one freedom fighter who insisted on non-violence and how he was treated by the FBI: Martin Luther King. Jay Edgar Hoover and the gang targeted him, spied on him, and used the IRS to persecute him, all under the pretense that they thought he was associating with commies. When their bugs recorded him saying that he did not like Communism and wanted nothing to do with it, they suppressed that information and kept spying and persecuting. A decade or so later Nixon was driven out of office partly for trying to use the IRS to target his enemies. After that Kibbe fast forwards up to the present and goes into great detail about the IRS targeting of conservative and Libertarian groups. The big difference between the Nixon scandal and the current Lois Lerner Tea Party targeting IRS scandal is that the current one is much longer in duration, more malignant in intention, and more damaging to more ordinary people. Also it may have altered the results of the 2012 election. And yet is has inspired almost zero outrage from the left.

Kibbe also goes into detail about government spying on the American people and even more detail about the implications of Obamacare, especially for the millennial generation. He compares it to the draft, in the sense that young people are being conscripted into a program that is more expensive than they can afford and not in their best interests. It becomes apparent that there is a two-party system in the United States, but the two parties are not the Republicans and the Democrats. We seem to have the same two-party system that springs up everywhere that government takes root and grows: those who profit from big government control of individual freedom vs. the outsiders, those who are not part of the system but who pay for the system. Or if you like, Statists vs. Freedom lovers.

Albert Jay Nock describes how this works succinctly and bluntly in his classic Our Enemy the State, but now I see clearly the manifestation in my own country, a country that is supposed to be different: all about freedom and individual self determination. I have been puzzled by the vicious vitriolic reaction coming from our political leaders and the press to the mild mannered Tea Party activists, ordinary citizens who were only peacefully protesting for the same old principles of liberty that our Constitution is supposed to guarantee. Now I get it. Individual freedom is a really scary threat to those who depend on controlling the masses for the benefit of the political insider class. We are supposed to shut up and trust them.

Another thing that has puzzled me is why new representatives who go to Washington with such good intentions get corrupted so quickly. Kibbe explains. The system runs on a sticky web of money and slimy special interests and alliances. Money contributed in large sums by special interest groups equates to power so quickly, so directly, and with such immediate effects on the receiver's standing among his peers, that it becomes addictive. When the money dries up, so does your power, and you are happy to get another hit. Until you are inside the web, it’s hard to know how hard the money will be to resist.

Kibbe supports and shares his conversations with about six Libertarian figures currently in Washington: Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Representatives David Schweikert (R-AZ), Justin Amash (R-MI), and Thomas Massey (R-KY). These guys have been sent to Washington by their constituents to fight the power in favor of the Constitution and individual liberty. They seem to be doing that with mixed results, but I wonder what it is that protects them from the fluid of corruption that has gotten into the veins of so many before them. They have to be true believers in freedom. From the conversations it sounds like they read a lot of the books on my virtual freedom shelf. I hope they hold out.

The manifesto part doesn’t come until the last chapter. Kibbe points out that we can’t just complain about what is wrong. We need to state our alternative vision in a positive way. He proposes a 12-step plan for our political reps:

1) Comply with the laws you pass. (No exemptions for government people or anyone else for laws like Obamacare.)
2) Stop spending money we don’t have.
3) Scrap the tax code.
4) Put patients in charge of their own healthcare.
5) Choice, not conscription. (No one size fits all entitlements, in healthcare or anything else.)
6) End insider bailouts.
7) Let parents decide how to educate their kids.
8) Respect my privacy.
9) End the Fed monopoly.
10) Avoid entangling alliances.
11) Don’t take people’s stuff.
12) Defend people’s right to know. (No government controls on the Internet.)
All of these points come with lots of examples and history.

I liked this book very much so I did a bit of research on the author. He is the CEO of Freedomworks.org, a huge well-funded organization that supports grass roots efforts and promotes the principles outlined above. It is sort of the Libertarians’ answer to the socialists’ Change.org. I guess even freedom-fighting Libertarians need a large well-funded organization but it a little disconcerting. Freedomworks has had its share of internal schisms and controversy. Sigh. But we free people are free to associate with organizations or not.

[George · Rating 2 out of 5]

GUERRILLA THEATER, WHOOPEE CUSHION, LIBERTARIANISM FOR THE MASSES?

"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."—George Washington —page 44

The title of Matt Kibbe's book, DON'T HURT PEOPLE AND DON'T TAKE THEIR STUFF, is an insanely great idea. It is also a reworking (a dumbing down?) of Murray Rothbard's core axiom of libertarianism, the non-aggression principle: "that no man or group of men may aggress against the person or property of anyone else."

Unfortunately, for the reader, DHPADTTS spends too little time and effort on substance and principle, and far too much time in a whiny political diatribe/screed—à la Ann Coulter. I had hoped for a more reasoned discussion of ideas and principles. I already understand that 'they,' whomever 'they' may be, are all evil, mean-spirited, idiots—another 200 pages of examples was unneeded.

I'm currently listening to the MP3 audio book edition of LIBERTY DEFINED, by Ron Paul, which offers an exponentially more excellent, comprehensive, illuminating, interesting, and reasoned discussion of the ideas and principles of liberty—sans whoopee cushion.

Recommendation: Read, instead, Murray Rothbard's excellent book, FOR A NEW LIBERTY: The Libertarian Manifesto; and/or Ron Paul's LIBERTY DEFINED: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom.

"The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, and intolerable..."—H. L. Mencken —page 146

NOOKbook editions, 203 pages

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the weekend I read Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff, which proved entertaining if disappointing. It is less a fulsome introduction to the nonaggression principle and classical liberalism, and more a kick in the teeth of a corrupt and ineffective bureaucracy. It was written in 2013, with the campaign promises of 2012 already unfulfilled and stale; the author anticipated another round of calming lies in 2016 and wanted to wake readers up to the possibility of a third option. He champions freedom and creativity, loathes the administrative state (full of "gray suited soviets"), and mixes the political feistiness with affectionate rambling on the Grateful Dead and Rush. (The band, not the blowhard.) Kibbe has a libertarian since high school, so while he's passionate he doesn't have the experience made from traveling in other camps that would allow him to connect other views with his arguments. Still, in political season marked by sneers and street brawls, being reminded of a political philosophy based on peace instead of ambition to control is refreshing.

[Don Incognito · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the most disappointing book I've read this year.

It's not that I disagree with any of what it has to say; it's that what I read, I already knew 99 percent of. As a libertarian primer, its material is too obvious to be very interesting to someone has read political nonfiction for years. Such a reader can scan the entire book and say "duh" or "captain obvious."

But if it's a packaging of libertarianism that hopes to appeal to the curious and perhaps to disaffected former Obama-supporting moderates or independents, it is potentially a lot more useful than the conspiracy theories and "one Ron to rule them all" cries of hardcore libertarians.

If you already have the most basic familiarity with libertarian political theories, or conservative political theories, or both, you can skip this book if your reading list isn't empty.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A cheap populist discourse:

Young people can’t find jobs, and can’t afford to pay off their student loans. Parents are having an increasingly hard time providing for their families.

from an unschooled philosopher:

I am not a moral philosopher and I don’t particularly aspire to be one. That said, I have stayed at more than one Holiday Inn Express. That makes me at least smart enough to know what I don’t know.

Ending up with a lie. This is not a manifesto. This is a loose text vaguely shaped around a strange decalogue. And just because it has quotes vaguely referring to other works, the books still does not get closer to reason. Near the end I was thinking this guy has made a very poor attempt to mimic Marx's Kapital.

[Dru Pagliassotti · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up because a friend keeps telling me I'm libertarian, but I have to confess that I didn't finish it. It contained as many intelligence-insulting, oversimplified arguments and cheap vilification as any other extremist political party's diatribe. I wasn't necessarily opposed to the "rules" the author set forth as guidelines for libertarians, but I didn't find the book compelling as a whole; I gave it up around the tenth reference to "gray-suited Soviets." Name-calling isn't the way to impress me.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most political manifestos, there will be people who identify and agree, and those who scoff and disagree. Count me amongst the former. I really enjoyed this one. The title of Kibbe's book refers to the first two of his six "rules for liberty." This just seems like straightforward common sense.

[Emily Bragg · Rating 1 out of 5]

A handful of good points hidden behind tedious and unnecessary rhetoric that would be more suited for political talk radio. People who strongly agree will nod along, and people who disagree will feel more right in their convictions after reading this.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started off on a very promising note. The author gave some background on how he came to libertarian thought and it was somewhat similar to mine. He was influenced by the band Rush and the writing of Ayn Rand. For me it was Robert Heinlein's works, most especially _The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress_.

Although I have read Rand and one of my college professors, Mimi Gladstein, is a recognized expert, I was never captivated by what she wrote, owing more to Rand's style than anything else, although her penchant for writing as if she were lecturing the ignorant also struck me the wrong way.

Where I began to have problems with Kibbe was when he began extolling some of the Tea Party Republicans (especially Cruz) as liberty's flame bearers. I'll agree that Cruz, et al, do advocate strongly for economic freedom, but that's only part of the equation for a libertarian, as far as I'm concerned.

A real libertarian wants complete freedom from unnecessary government interference and that extends to such matters as religion, sexual orientation, abortion, and all other personal freedoms the religious Republicans seek to regulate.

Another formative moment in the development of my political philosophy came when Carlos Fuentes spoke at my college. His notion that Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same coin, pulling an elaborate con game on the citizenry, opened my eyes in many respects. I noticed more similarities than real differences and noted how the party in power behaved exactly the same as the party it displaced, and vice versa.

I’ll never forget a breathless call from my sister, newly installed in her position as a bureaucrat in Washington D.C., telling me that she was having dinner at the same restaurant as a still living former Republican Speaker of the House and a dead former Democratic Senator from a well-known political family, ostensibly bitter enemies.

“What are they doing?” I asked.

“They’re having dinner together and acting like old friends!” she marveled.

A few hours later she called me back.

“You won’t believe this! They both got stinking drunk and started grabbing at a young waitress. She ended up leaving in tears while they laughed!”

Kibbe is at his finest when he very correctly taps in to the (at the time) hidden desire for change from the status quo. He misses badly, though, in his assessment of what direction this discontent will take the U.S. He incorrectly assumes the young voters, finally recognizing the whipping they’ve received at the hands of Obama and the Democratic Congress with the ACA, would choose to support a candidate who offers them more freedom. Instead, of course, they rallied behind the unelectable, deluded Bernie Sanders.

He gets a little closer to the mark with the older, middle class voters, but doesn’t consider the possibility that they’ll all be taken in by someone like Donald Trump. (To be fair, I didn’t either, even up to about 11:30 PM on Election Day.)

He’s at his most spot-on when he notes that the establishment forces (politicians, news media, etc.) will fight hysterically to prevent change, something we’re currently seeing unfold almost by the hour.

Kibbe made reference to the left’s use of the tactics described in Alinsky’s _Rules for Radicals_. As I’m paying closer attention now, I’ve noted that he’s correct. If it weren’t so infuriating it would be comical to watch as each new day brings a fresh set of ridiculous accusations from all sides.

Kibbe finishes strongly, with a 12-step wish list that seems increasingly unlikely to come to pass.

Despite the flaws, I recommend this book. It’s a quick, entertaining, yet thought-provoking read.

[Genni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a meandering manifesto full of emotive language and reactions to the administration that it was written under (Obama). Kibbe is also critical of the right, but the immediacy of his writing doesn't give much airtime to all of the problems with the Republican Party. The result is an unbalanced work.

However, some themes that run throughout are very much worth reading. His emphasis on individual liberty and responsibility and it being US vs. THEM (government) rather than Republicans vs. Democrats is something to chew on.

If you are unfamiliar with libertarian ideas, then this is an easy read that will acquaint you with some of their ideals. It will not provide a comprehensive overview of how all of these ideals will work together to create a harmonious society and you will probably leave with more questions to research, but perhaps that is the point.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good introduction to the dangers of government, and the joys of liberty. Quick and easy to read. I wish every High School Junior would read it. Give this to your kids, so they don't grow up as needy, entitled statists.

[Jane]

It's my basic philosophy, and like the author, I found out about Ayn Rand from Rush. I didn't read that carefully after the first few chapters.

[Shhhhh Ahhhhh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Literally not writing a review about this repugnant waste of time. Just going to copy and paste all of my blow-by-blow updates while reading this hot basura.

20% - I overlooked the first one, but I'm afraid I can't overlook the second grave error the author has made. The first error the author has made in what is essentially a book to pitch Libertarianism to anyone unfamiliar with it as a political stance is to assume that the solution of one problem (hypocritical means justifying the ends tactics as a structural feature) does not mean the creation of additional problems.

The second is the comparison of calling someone a nazi to calling someone a racist. The fact that stating what someone is is a conversation stopper does not preclude it from being a valid statement. If you're a racist, you're a racist. Yes, racists exist. No, I don't want to hear much anything from them. One would think that someone on about freedom of association would understand that that applies in even that case.

22% - Now he's railing against compromise at the very same time as he's railing against being told to grow up. If there's anything far right wing conservatives share with libertarians, it's the inability to compromise. If anything, he just earned a star over what this book was going to get from before because he's ably cast rugged individualism as stunted maturity. Thanks for that, Matt.

Andddddddddd quoting MLK out of context.

23% - So, Mr. Kibbe is going to talk about the FBI's hardon for MLK but not once touches the fact that J. Edgar Hoover was demonstrably a racist. Jesus Christ

26% - "Freedom works" until we're talking about herd immunity, right?

28% - Denying someone 501c3 status is not taking away their first amendment rights. You don't have a right to be considered a charity by the IRS. That argument is stupid. This entire section of the book is stupid, and in light of the current scandal with election rigging on behalf of the very same group he's discussing right now, it seems mildly sinister.

31% - Political corruption is not an argument for libertarianism. Funny how the bank bailout is NOT an argument against capitalism to Matt.

33% - It's not liberal vs conservative or republican versus democrat? I sincerely hope there are no black libertarians, because for all of this fool's discussions of dismantling larger power structures, he has no clue that some of us rely on that very structure to protect ourselves from people that him and his like would never try to stop from lynching us. Thanks Matt. Never libertarianism.

34% - Monopoly on government is a problem but not monopoly on business, which is held in check only due to government intervention? What an expensive philosophy, fit only for people so rich that they will never be at risk of having to work in a company town and working for company scrip. Fool.

Why am I not surprised that he now paints complexity as the enemy? Is there any better explanation for the utter unfamiliarity that anyone subscribing to these ideas has with th sciences that skewer the basic premises? God bless me if I find a libertarian with even a cursory familiarity with game theory. Yeah, complexity is often the enemy of stupidity.

35% - The tax code is complex for the same reason the law is complex? Variety of situations require explicit treatment and the variety of lifestyles, compounded with social and economic stratification and varied further by individual legal and cultural conditions of individual states and regions makes for a lot of necessary complexity. Any libertarian data scientists in the world? Even one?

37% - Anddddd outright lies. So the government is why healthcare costs are enormous? Not insurance? You're just going to pretend that our model isn't inferior for reasons directly relating to capitalism when we have working models CURRENTLY in several other countries? In what country but America is this level of abject ignorance tolerated?

40% - Goes to special pains to point out the susceptibility to corruption of the FBI through story but then continually rags on the IRS and "Obamacare". No care that in his vision of a remade country, susceptibility to corruption will be magnified, not lessened. I mean, at the very least, is he aware that sociopaths are a thing that exist?

Do I have to live with these folks? Can they do their own thing elsewhere?

In what way is any organization saying that more money would increase their effectiveness a problem? How does it not occur to this guy that overworked, underpaid people tend to cut corners? Like, a simple heuristic for rejection of applications being a particular affiliation? How is none of this as crystal clear to him as the seeming solution to all that ails us?

41% - Discusses government ineptitude. Fails to realize a) the rate of ineptitude is highly unlikely to be higher in government populations than the base rate for the population and b) companies suffer from this exact same thing ALL THE TIME. I can probably put my birth certificate and ssc online now, for all the data breaches private companies have had that leaked my info. Foolish. Stupid.

44% - "insanely authoritarian progressive movement"

I'm only half way through but not only do I already know that I'm not writing a review for this, but that I am, with certainty, giving this book 1 star with the fervent desire to give it 0, or even some negative number of stars.

45% - Talks about the danger of short-sighted thinking. Oh, really? Like not thinking about the game theory implications of a libertarian state apparatus? Making mistakes today that your children won't even get the chance to pay for because you'll have screwed the entire species out of a habitat in the rush to dismantle the EPA. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid

46% - Matt Kibbe, graying mouthpiece who has seemingly been a full-on Libertarian since being old enough to vote, is now going to lecture me, a millenial not only about what it means to be a Liberal (with this "new left" bullshit) but also how badly his generation fucked me over. And this is his pitch for Libertarianism?

Everything that I enjoyed about that anarchist book is why I abhor this nonsense.

47% - Attacking higher education from the financial perspective misses the point of going to college. Treating college as a place where people go to to get jobs is not only stupid, but it breeds entire generations of stupid people who think that all they have to do is make it out and things will be fine, rather than getting intellectual growth out of it, thus seeding the ground for more Libertarians.

Wouldn't know what grass roots was if it whipped its codpiece out and slapped it on your forehead, Matt.

52% - Yep. Thanks. Keep lecturing me about what apparently I, and everyone in my generation, think. That always works. Funny that Matt lumps the "left" together as an aggregate, rather than seeing that neolibs are what we aren't feeling anymore. We're not feeling Libertarians either.

56% - "faceless bureaucrats"

More fear mongering. More nonsense.

64% - Old guy ranting about information democratization via the internet. I'd love to see the egg on his face on the other side of this Russia scandal. Is Kibbe aware of reddit? Does he actually use facebook? Old people slay me. Please stop giving people like this a platform.

66% - "No one gets to tell anyone else what to do"

Nail meet coffin. Never heard of an admin or a mod. Matt, Matt, Matt. Stay in your lane bro.

68% - Imaginary conversation between people who never actually sat in the same room, using accurate quotes that are, obviously and necessarily taken out of context.

Seriously? If this had happened in a book written that was pro Republican, Democrat, Conservative or Progressive, he would have already ripped them a new one. Actually, I take that back. He's sensitive to conservatives. Strange that.

71% - And what I want to hear from whiter than white politicians is how much the state has harmed the black community... with literally no context of how else that's being executed AND while still never touching the word racism. Nice. Fantastic. You know, maybe I will recommend this book to make sure other black people don't become Libertarians either.

75% - No, Matt. You're not Anarchists. They're smarter, probably because of their reliance on Bohm dialogue, rather than horrifically poorly written fiction from Ayn Rand.

Also, keep Westeros out of your mouth.

77% - "Class warriors on the left would howl at the injustice of treating everyone equally"

Because a flat tax is unbelievably stupid, given that the impact of the money on the ability of the wealthy to produce more money is non-linear? Capitalism evolves into crony capitalism as a direct result of the property of our system whereby winners of a single round are set up to be perpetual winners. This is stupid, Matt.

79% - "choice is one of the fundamental building blocks of customer satisfaction"

McDonald's or Wendy's? Walmart or Amazon? That's the kind of choice Matt is looking for.

80% - Market accountability is the answer huh? Don't care to remember the workers strikes that our history is famous for? Nope? Not at all? Just going to rely on the invisible hand of the market to engage in more of this navel-gazing intellectual masturbation, Matt?

81% - To quote Marla Singer: "Here comes an avalanche of bullshit."

"Parents know the educational needs of their children best"

No. They don't. The people mandated by law to have a master's degree in educating children do. Not parents who are largely not even college graduates. This is stupid and more science denying by Matt.

Discusses the fact that America is falling behind in educational rankings. Fails to discuss the fact that the countries beating the tar out of us in those rankings don't employee private education. We're getting beat by public education, not because the government is incompetent, but because our schools are being starved for resources. This is capitalism at work influencing spending. Basic causality here, Matt.

82% - You don't just get to invoke "empirical evidence" that you never bother to cite and then say that parents know what's best for their children. We don't get to pretend, as a society, to not know that objective truth exists. This is nonsense and if he had started the book with it instead of putting it all the way at the end, I would have put it down immediately rather than wasting my time.

86% - "Unironic invocation of our government's apparent reliance on the idea of not taking people's stuff. Directly references several people who undertook direct and explicit campaigns of genocide to do that. THey literally took other people's land to redistribute it. How is none of this coming up for this guy? Willful ignorance is my guess. Or a hard barrier in intellect.

92% - Deep state conspiracy theorism finally fully stated.

100% - BIOYA, Matt. I'm never reading anything you write ever again in my life and, despite my threat to do quite the opposite in order to turn people off to Libertarianism, I will not only not recommend other people read your books but will actively fight to see that people do not read your books. Social contagion and the direct results of flawed and low-quality education. BIOYA.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I finished this book I realized that there was plenty more to be learned from it if I were to read it over and over again, so I will definitely come back to this one time and again.

[Jim Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm going to give this 2 stars.

That was a hard number to figure out, and I probably overthought it. This isn't a 2 star book. It's a mix. It starts out as maybe a 3 star book, has bits that deserve a 4th star, dives deep down into a star deficit (can we give -3 stars?), comes back up. It's good and bad. Mostly well-written, which is nice, but with a condescending tone throughout, which is less nice.

We'll go chapter by chapter, not so much because I think the reader will be enlightened and riveted by my amazing opinions here, but because tackling it that ways sort of helps me process it for myself.

CHAPTER 1: RULES FOR LIBERTY

This is mostly a decent chapter. Yes, I had to do an eye roll when he brought up Saul Alinsky, but this was written around 2013 and at that time in our history every conservative pundit was apparently required by law to say stupid and cliche things about Alinsky's book "Rules for Radicals." Unlike most of his peers, I at least believe that Kibbe probably read the book, but still.

Anway, this is the only chapter that can really be called a "manifesto." The rest of the book descends more into "petty diatribe." But here Kibbe lays out his 6 "simple" rules for liberty:

1. "Don't Hurt People." That's a cool one. Hard to argue with. Problem here is that it's not always "simple." What constitutes hurting people? How does hurting people get balanced against other rights and needs and interests? I'd love a deeper dive. Kibbe wants to keep it simple, doesn't give that deeper dive. But in a complex world, in a country with more than 350 million people living shoulder to shoulder, platitudes aren't quite enough. Without Kibbe offering more, I had to look into his work with his organization FreedomWorks. Apparently, for Kibbe, it's okay to hurt people indirectly for profit. His organization, for instance, has opposed putting any restrictions on coal mining operations that pollute the drinking water of local residents. Poisoning people's water for profit doesn't rise to "hurting people," I guess, which is a shame.

2. "Don't Take People's Stuff." Another good one. A no-brainer. But Kibbe seems to believe that taxation is by definition straight up armed robbery. I am a firm believer that taxes should be spent wisely and responsibly, but taxation will always be a reality. There's not a way for 350 million people to live together without following some basic rules (basic, but more complex than these "simple" rules) and without everyone chipping in for the common good. Show me a society where it works any other way and I'll gladly revise my opinion.

In this rule we find Kibbe quoting James Madison, and then cutting to a point about how government should not choose sides based on one's race, which is just weird. He writes as if Madison is supporting his point, without batting an eye, without bothering to mention that Madison had over 100 slaves, very specifically and deliberately chose NOT to free them, consistently put economic progress above human rights and dignity. I get it, Madison helped shape this country and it's valid to quote him. But twisting it up to imply that Madison was a champion of everyone's freedom and not acknowledging the darker side is dishonest on Kibbe's part, and a precursor for more name-dropping-without-context to follow.

3. "Take Responsibility." Cool. I'm all about that. There's this thing on the right where it's often implied that liberals and leftists like me want a nanny-state, won't take responsibility. That strikes me as odd. I spent a lot of time hanging around in the hardcore punk scene, which was a pretty leftist scene in the good old days, and it was all about the DIY ethic, personal responsibility, making good choices. I grew up in poverty and I busted my rear to get the very good life I have now. I put in the miles to run marathons, I taught myself to play guitar, I'm out there unfunded doing my charity work, and it's all good. So "responsibility" doesn't belong to the Libertarians or the Right.

Here, Kibbe suggests that people taking responsibility for each other is deterred by government programs that help the poor. He does a good job of saying that Libertarianism doesn't mean selfishness, just that one is opposed to the government doing the good work. Okay. But then he goes into some magical thinking. In Kibbe's imagination, if there were fewer government funded social safety nets, all of these "liberated" people would join together to help their brothers and sisters and things would be swell.

I'd love for him to point to an example in history where that has happened, where a lack of laws and funding to protect the most vulnerable has led to the most vulnerable having their lives improved. He doesn't point to an example and I think probably he can't because there isn't an example to point to. It's fantasy world stuff. People don't behave that way. I wish they did. That would be great. They don't. Look at our own history and you'll see that the lives of the desperately poor were much, much worse before regulation and government intervention. Look at statistics, and you'll see that states and countries with social safety nets actually having higher rates of volunteerism than those without. He's got it backwards, he's focused on an ideal that just doesn't mesh with reality.

4. "Work For It." Yeah, okay. I agree with this. Goes with the responsibility bit above. You've got to put in the work.

5. "Mind Your Own Business." I love this. In theory. I mean, more than theory. I love this rule. I absolutely love it. I just wish that Kibbe actually loved it. I wish that, seeing as how it's one of his 6 simple rules, he cared about it. It seems like he really doesn't.

Here's how much Kibbe doesn't actually care about this rule: he won't even come out directly and say what he's talking about, probably because he doesn't want to alienate the base that he's appealing to.

We're talking about stuff like marijuana and "gay marriage" (I prefer to call it marriage) and LGBTQ issues and the like. Kibbe takes the stance that as long as you're not hurting anybody else, what you do with your body or in your bedroom is no one else's business and the government should not be involved. But he can't quite come out and say it boldly. He gets there with marijuana, but really holds back on the rest. Probably because he knows that a big part of the conservative base he's appealing to are basically bigots, and he doesn't have the guts to be straightforward about what he believes (and I believe that he believes in what he's sorta kinda saying).

It gets worse. Later he'll hold up Ted Cruz as a sort of messianic figure, a living embodiment of these 6 simple rules. That would be the Ted Cruz who has repeatedly opposed gay marriage rights, persecutes LGBTQ people in his free time, and once fought to criminalize couples using sex toys in their own bedrooms.

One starts to think that despite all the flowery words about freedom, Kibbe's Libertarianism is really about something else. Not YOUR freedom. Not at all.

6. "Fight the Power." Sounds great. This is all about standing up for your values. Wouldn't it be super cool if Kibbe himself did that? Had the gumption to stand up to Ted Cruz and Mike Lee and the other mean-spirited bigots he fawns over and his organization supports? He doesn't Fight The Power.

We also see Kibbe name-dropping MLK here. He does it a lot. He quotes Martin Luther King A LOT in this book. And hey, I love MLK. Absolutely. But it's sour coming out of Kibbe's pen. I'm sure that his admiration of King is genuine. But the way he quotes King throughout seems to imply that King would support the ideas that Kibbe is pushing here. Let's be crystal-freaking-clear-- King would NOT support the agenda that Kibbe is pushing here. King did NOT argue that government should do less for the people. King was absolutely, positively in favor of government-funded programs to lift the people up. Kibbe knows we all love King, and his misappropriation of King's words comes off as cheap and offensive. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say it wasn't intentional. I hope that's true. Because Kibbe seems like the kind of guy who genuinely wants to be a good person.

CHAPTER 2: YOU CAN'T HAVE FREEDOM FOR FREE

Can't help loving this chapter, or at least parts of it. This is Kibbe's best writing in the book. Here, Kibbe goes into how he discovered libertarian ideals and the writings of Ayn Rand. It all started with a Rush album.

When he writes about Rush, you can feel a certain joy. It's really nice. As a huge Rush fan, I totally get it. I can talk about Rush for hours. And I do. Ask my wife and kids. When you see that glazed look in their eyes, it's because I've been talking about Rush for hours. Sorry. But they're the greatest band in the history of rock and roll, so you know, they're worth talking about.

In the early days of Rush, drummer/lyricist Neil Peart wrote some songs inspired by the libertarian writings of Ayn Rand. "Anthem," for instance. And, of course, the one that got Kibbe started: "2112." Those are amazing songs.

Kibbe talks about Rush a LOT in this chapter and brings them up repeatedly later.

But he leaves some stuff out.

He does what he does with MLK and James Madison-- he writes as if Rush and/or Peart would endorse the things he's saying, he uses Rush songs to make his points with the implication that that's what they were trying to say all along. Funny thing is, Neil Peart (who passed away a few years ago, one of the few "celebrity" deaths that really broke my heart) has repeatedly stated that he was basically an angry kid when he wrote those lyrics, that he grew up and developed different ideas. Peart remained philosophically very small-l libertarian throughout his life, but he did not at all subscribe to the political ideas Kibbe espouses, actively spoke out against this stuff, very clearly stated that voting Republican in America was not even an option for a person like him, that the Republican party had disqualified itself. He was a supporter of environmental causes. He believed strongly in personal freedoms (the kind of freedoms that Kibbe won't support out loud) but not in this "burn the social safety net" garbage that conservative Libertarians espouse.

Kibbe conveniently fails to mention this. Which makes him kind of dishonest.

BUT... still a cool chapter. And he's got cool stuff to say along the lines of "growing up should not equal giving up" which I can't help but dig. I feel that, too. Although, growing up should mean evolving when appropriate. I will always cling to the core of my 17-year old ideals, but I've learned some new stuff along the way, and I realize that some of what I thought was kind of stupid. Kibbe should try that.

CHAPTER 3: THEM VERSUS US

This chapter isn't any fun. It's sort of a waste of time. We have left the "manifesto" portion of our adventure and moved on to the Fox News-esque diatribe portion.

Most of this is devoted to the IRS scandal of the day. Remember that? During the Obama years, it came out that the IRS was targeting conservative, Tea Party groups for audit and such. It was portrayed on Fox as the WORST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED IN HUMAN HISTORY and people on the right went nuts.

And if it was all that simple, Kibbe would be right to be unhappy about that. I'm unhappy with the notion of the IRS targeting any legit political groups.

Turns out that further investigation found that the IRS was also over-auditing liberal groups. Basically, anyone with an overtly political agenda.

And that's not okay.

But Kibbe doesn't mention it. Because to mention that would be to acknowledge that it wasn't an attempt to silence HIS people, that HIS people were not the hapless victims. Or not the only hapless victims. The situation was more complex that what he portrays here. Another example of dishonesty. Or maybe he didn't have all the information? But still felt justified in writing a scathing chapter about it? I don't know. But I'm not impressed.

For the record... the IRS targeting anyone based on ideology is wrong. But let's keep it together here. Let's be honest.

CHAPTER 4: GRAY-SUITED SOVIETS

Every time he uses the phrase "gray-suited soviets" I think "what a dink." Throughout this book, Kibbe disparages and insults every person who works for the government. It's offensive. I think he's trying to sound clever.

Here, at least at first, he's talking about people in the government doing genuinely bad things, so let's give him a pass. This chapter starts out about NSA spying. I'm totally on board with him. I wish he cared about non-government entities invading our privacy and collecting our data. He doesn't even mention it. In his world, government collecting data on citizens = bad, huge companies collecting data because there's money to be made = let's not mention it. Fighting the power, as always.

The chapter quickly turns into an obsessive rant about Obama Care.

Obama Care sucks. That's my super technical opinion. I'm not sure about all the pressures and whatnot that caused it to suck, but I'll acknowledge that it's not good.

But Kibbe is back in fantasy land when he imagines how wonderful it would be if government were not all involved in health insurance. He talks about that "simpler time" when health care was just a transaction between the patient and the doctor, when you simply paid for what you wanted and had no hoops to jump through. No mention that the simpler time of his fantasies had an infant-mortality rate 90% higher than what we have today, or that people working in factories were dying at the age of 26 because they had no way to pay for medical care or any of the rest. Kibbe doesn't (and can't) point to a time or a society where this simple approach to health care led to healthier people.

I'm with him when it comes to decoupling health insurance from employment. That has never made sense to me and is breaking employers. But why not look around at the world and see what is actually working, then try to have a version of that?

Nope. Kibbe will stick to his fantasy-soaked ideals come what may.

(NOTE: Kibbe uses the phrase "death panels" in this chapter, and not as a joke. I think we all know by now that anyone who uses the phrase "death panels" in serious conversation is automatically excused from the grown up table and has to go sit with Sarah Palin.)

CHAPTER 5: SAME AS THE OLD BOSS

It's getting tiring by this point.

This is mostly a screed against Obama Care. We get it. You don't like it.

There's a bit here where he talks about a stunt where he had young people burn there insurance cards like the Vietnam protestors burned their draft cards. He thinks it's clever. I think it's tacky to imply that the government mandating insurance (even a poorly thought out plan) is somewhat equivalent to sending young people to kill and die in a foreign jungle, but hey, tacky hasn't stopped him before.

CHAPTER 6: THE RIGHT TO KNOW

Kibbe comes across a little naive here, raving about the glories of unfettered information on the internet. I can't remember... was the internet the cesspool that it has become back when he was writing this book? Social media and the internet have some amazing positives, but tone down the adulation a bit.

Kibbe is dead-on in his criticism of NSA spying, his belief that Snowden whistle blowing was a good thing, and so on.

He comes across as silly in his support of Rand Paul's foolish filibuster. Paul pulled some "gotcha" nonsense trying to get the Obama Administration to answer the question of whether or not the president could order the assassination of civilians on American soil. It was a silly straw man question that carried an unfounded accusation-- sort of like asking your debate opponent "have you stopped beating your wife?" It wasn't worthy of an answer, but Kibbe paints Rand Paul as brave in his questioning and the Obama crew as cowardly in avoiding it.

It wasn't brave. It was silly.

CHAPTER 7: A SEAT AT THE TABLE

This chapter pretty much tanks the book.

This is the pretend round table with the people Kibbe most admires in the Republican party. He takes a bunch of quotes from various conversations he's had with these guys and pastes them together to feel like a bigger conversation. Nice concept.

But his choice of heroes here is telling. And extremely disappointing.

Justin Amash makes the list. Amash is the exception to the "these people basically suck" rule. I don't agree with Amash on everything, but from what I know of him he is principled, consistent and basically a decent human being.

Rand Paul makes it into the group. Paul is kind of a dink, but I give him a lot of credit on the work he's put in for criminal reform, drug reform, etc.

Also on the list? Ted Cruz and Mike Lee.

The inclusion of Ted Cruz and Mike Lee here (and Freedom Works' work on behalf of Cruz) undermines all of Kibbe's supposed ideals, his gloriously simple "rules." He talks at great length about personal freedom and minding one's own business... and then sings praises (and actively works on behalf of) a moral troglodyte who has actively worked against LGBTQ rights, gay marriage, and the like. Cruz, as noted, fought hard to keep couples from using sex toys in their own bedrooms. He has fought to make boycotts of Israel illegal-- essentially, has tried to tell Americans that they CANNOT choose to not buy certain products from another country due to human rights violations. And, of course, for all of these guys, there's the abortion issue. An issue which has gotten a lot stickier with the recent overturning of Roe and the crazy-train laws in Texas and other states encouraging citizens to spy on their neighbors, attempting to ban women from traveling to other states for abortions. As always, Kibbe is interested in protecting the free choices that matter to him, but not terribly concerned about the rest. And what matters to him, clearly, is money.

CHAPTER 8: TWELVE STEPS

Here Kibbe gives us 12 steps that could lead to a "freer" society. Some are okay. Some are sketchy, but not terrible in theory. Some seem unlikely to work (flat tax, etc). I won't get into all of them.

What is interesting is what he leaves out... LGBTQ rights, criminal reform, other big freedoms that his friends don't like. So he leave them off.

CHAPTER 9: NOT A ONE-NIGHT-STAND

And then he wraps it up. A standard conclusion. "In it for the long haul, fight for freedom all your life." Inspiring stuff if what he was fighting for was "freedom."



So, yeah, this is a disappointing book. Some good parts. Could have been great. Wasn't.

[Hobart · Rating 4 out of 5]

FreedomWorks' Matt Kibbe has produced a very accessible, very readable libertarian manifesto. A rallying cry for a grassroots movement of concerned citizens. He focuses on 6 Rules for Liberty, emphasizing 1 & 2:

Rules for Liberty:
   1. Don't hurt people.
   2. Don't take people's stuff.
   3. Take Responsibility.
   4. Work for it.
   5. Mind your own business.
   6. Fight the power.

With these as a starting point, he critiques many aspects of the U. S. Government (current and recent administrations of both parties) as it currently operates. Kibbe is positive about (a few) politicians on both sides of the aisle, but he's mostly negative about the overwhelming majority. Sure, he's more positive about Liberty-leaning Republicans than anyone else currently in Washington, but at the end of the day, he wants to replace both parties.

Compared to a lot of Libertarian/Libertarian-ish books that I've read, this is pretty light reading. He jokes, he drops pop culture references -- he's not all that cranky -- he writes with conviction and hope. He drops lines like:

Music and freedom just seem to go together, just like the word "bacon" belongs in any sentence that includes the phrase "proper meal." I can't prove it, but you just know that it's true.

One chapter features a simulated round table between Sen. Rand Paul, Sen. Mike Lee, Sen. Ted Cruz, Rep. Justin Amash, Rep Thomas Massie, and Rep. David Schweikert -- based on interviews he conducted with each individually. Yes, a real round table would've been better, but this was probably easier to pull off. But seeing the way that these men were similar, yet distinct, was good to see. Kibbe's not promoting a monolithic libertarian view, there's room for differences based on a shared commitment to the 6 Rules.

It seems so strange that a book on politics is as dependent on a classic rock album (Rush's 2112) as one of my favorite SF novels of recent years, but -- hey, it works. I don't think this book will convince anyone to become a Libertarian. But it does present a case for the philosophy, it will serve as a good introduction for those who are curious. In contrast to many of his peers -- who come across as cranks or kooks -- Kibbe comes across as someone with conviction, someone of principle, while still remaining rational.

I remember debating Chris Matthews, the guy on MSNBC's Hardball, once at an event in Aspen. I was making a (surely profound) point, and Matthews abruptly interrupted. He does that. "I know, I know," he said. "I read Ayn Rand in high school. I used to believe that stuff, too, but then I grew up." Maybe he didn't know he was parroting his favorite president, Barack Obama.
I've heard this so many times. I'm sure you have, too. . . Grow up. Play ball. Get in line.
Well, I don't want to "grow up." I don't want to if growing up means abandoning the principle that individuals matter, that you shouldn't hurt people or take their stuff. I don't want to give up on values that have gotten me down the road of life this far. I won't "grow up," if that means not seeking ideals, taking chances, and taking responsibility for my own failures. I don't want to compromise, at least not on the things that really matter. I don't want to split the difference on someone else's bad idea, and then pat myself on the back for "getting something done."
I have no plans to fall in line.
I do the best that I can, and I belong to a community of many millions of people who seem to agree with me on the things that really matter.

[Craig Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Kibbe's latest book - "Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff" in which he outlines his political philosophy and solutions for fixing many of the problems that America faces today. As the title suggests, he evaluates his stance based off of whether or not the policy proposed will hurt people or take their stuff (eg: money, rights, etc.) Most of Kibbe's proposed solutions I agreed with, such as stopping spending money we don't have, cutting taxes and greatly simplifying the tax code, and ending taxpayer bailouts for the insiders. Kibbe also details his opposition to the "authoritarian left" that postures itself as populist, but is really working to benefit the politically connected. As one example, he shows the reader that complex regulations and our long, difficult to understand tax code helps the insiders keep business competition down, or how the government - as we have seen in the IRS scandal can and will target opposition to the establishment class in charge. This book is definitely a must read for any conservative or libertarian interested in politics.

[Datschneids · Rating 3 out of 5]

As is the trend among Millennials, I tend to subscribe to the philosophy that people should be allowed unlimited social freedom so long as they don't interfere with the lives of others. I also believe in economic efficiency and limited government and voted for Gary Johnson in 2012. I don't fancy myself a true Libertarian mainly because I don't believe in political parties at all, but it's the closest ideology to what I believe as an individual and I've recently decided to become more informed on Libertarianism as a philosophy. This is the first book I ordered on the topic, and admittedly it was written in a way that anyone could pick it up and understand it. Simplicity isn't always a bad thing though, and I found this book to be a quick read and a great first taste of Libertarianism. Kibbe has a knack for writing in a very clear, objective manner while also letting his passion and personal ideologies shine through at the right moments. I'm sure there's better, more inclusive texts on Libertarianism, and I intend to look into those as well, but for my purposes this was a worthwhile read - one that I couldn't put down and finished in a matter of a few days.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like Two and a Half stars. The first chapter of this book starts off great! It breaks down modern Libertarianism into a couple simple ideas; Don't hurt People, Don't take their stuff, Mind your own business, and probably the hardest sell Be responsible. WOW! what a brilliantly simple way to convey a complex political ideology. Then it all goes down-hill.

The next four chapters wallow through a litany of what is wrong. "Come witness the violence inherit in the system..." is my quote from Monty Python that pretty much sums this up. If you are reading this book; chances are you already have a pretty good idea of what is going on.

By Chapter Six, things start to look up. Kibbe even offers a plan of sorts in twelve steps in a latter chapter but this is too little too late.

My recommendation; go to the library and pick this book out, read the first chapter and put it back on the shelf, then go find a copy of "The Liberty Amendments" by Mark Levin.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author is way more optimistic about the future of America than I am. Also this book is very timely and will probably be outdated pretty quickly.

Book points out a lot of ways/reasons that a strong government is bad: Gov is made of people who are evil and flawed and have vendettas and can't resist temptations. Big gov is incompetent and can't handle half of the tasks it is assigned already. There are so many laws that everyone breaks many of them every day so everyone is guilty all the time and they'll prosecute you as it suits them. Young people in this country are SCREWED because of economic policies, education policies, student loan policies and immigration policies. Has a list of a dozen ways to fix major problems in this country. No thoughts on immigration.

[Evan McB · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a competent primer for the philosophical tenents of libertarian thought (those being the title plus "don't break your promises"). However, the author sometimes fails in applying those theoretical ideals to actual policy, as when he suggests the answer to the problem of excessive surveillance by the NSA and other government agencies is to make those actions of surveillance illegal with new regulations and statutes that would further restrict individual action and complicate bureaucracy. Instead, I would suggest that the proper response of the federal government should be to dissolve government organizations that spy on Americans, and allow private sector entities to either spy or not spy on Americans as market forces (including cultural values) dictate.

[Patrick Shrier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I am not a pure enough libertarian because I don't think we should do away with government, I just think we should drastically shrink it and take away much of its power. That is essentially the point made in this book with an extra dose of traditional libertarian isolationism and veiled "sovereign citizen talk." I don't think this is a bad book and it is well written, I just don't agree with it 100%, more like 50%.

I am wholeheartedly behind the two points that make up the title. If more people and government agencies followed those to points America would be a much nicer and friendlier place than it is.

[Jenny]

Well. Not at all what I was expecting, I super skimmed it after reading the beginning. Aimed only at Americans, it is a scattered rant. Kind of interesting to get a sense of this current political movement from an insider's perspective. I wanted to know more about libertarians and was surprised by such poor writing. Some of the ideas are certainly worth exploring, but he devolves into confusing nonsense and loses me. The bulk of his vitriol is for Obama, but the Republicans don't fair well either, he just doesn't dwell on them because he is part of a movement to take over the GOP. I have no idea how to rate this book.

[Kristy]

Good grief, get to the point already! I didn't know this was going to be a long, drawn-out personal history of how this guy came to his libertarian views. But after 100 pages of him talking about how cool he was for listening to Rush (the band, not Limbaugh) and for reading "The Fountainhead," I gave up on ever learning more about libertarianism. Too bad, since I identify more as a libertarian these days and was interested in reading more philosophy than some guy tell his boring stories. Boo!