Freedom Reclaimed : Rediscovering the American Vision

by Schwarz, John E.

• ISBN13: 9780801879814
• ISBN10: 0801879817
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-10-27
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

Has the nation's infatuation with the free market warped the true meaning of American freedom by its emphasis on the self-serving individual in a "looking out for Number One" world?Freedom is America's most treasured value. In "Freedom Reclaimed," John E. Schwarz examines the profound implications of the difference between the vision of American freedom that the Founders enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the free-market idea of freedom that is ascendant today. Schwarz shows how the three-decade shift toward free-market freedom has brought economic hardship to the majority of Americans and suffering to the political life of the nation. As the nation moves further away from its impelling original commitment, most Americans now have only limited access to the freedom the Founders envisioned. Schwarz sets forth a program that can help America return to its ennobling vision and resume its historic journey.In policy discussions on employment, education, social issues, and health care, Schwarz,recasts our understanding of what freedom means and involves. In so doing, he transforms the way we see our world and revitalizes our ability to change it for the better.

Author Biography

John E. Schwarz is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Arizona and distinguished senior fellow, Demos. A former staff member for Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana, he is the author of Illusions of Opportunity: The American Dream in Question; America's Hidden Success; and The Forgotten Americans.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
The Failure of Free-Market Liberty	1	(12)
Freedom and the Promise of Economic Opportunity	13	(29)
Guidelines for American Social Policy	42	(21)
Education, Social Security, and Welfare Assistance	63	(20)
Freedom and Our Protection from Wrongful Harm	83	(20)
Overcoming Market Failures	103	(16)
The Size and Waste of Government	119	(16)
Societal Decisions and Individual Liberty	135	(19)
Taking Freedom Seriously	154	(24)
Rediscovering America's Vision	178	(7)
Notes	185	(46)
Index	231