Criticizes government spending policy, budgeting methods, and expenditures, calling for a constitutional amendment to curb inflation and limit federal spending

A topical issue but hardly a new one, the concern for balancing the federal budget has been a perennial source of conflict in American political life. In Balanced Budgets and American Politics, James Savage explores the causes and development of the nation's preoccupation with this issue. Savage argues that the American fascination with the idea of balancing the federal budget is deeply rooted and reflects more than a contemporary concern about interest rates, inflation, or even the outcome of recent budget battles. His analysis demonstrates the considerable influence that the principle budget balancing has had on politics and public policy from 1690 through Ronald Reagan's first term as president.

"The reader can't help but hold out hope that maybe someday, some of these sweeping changes could actually bring the nation's government out of its intellectual quagmire...his lively, conversational tone and compelling examples make the reader a more than willing student for this updated civics lesson." --The Hill The political book of the year, from the acclaimed founder and director of the Center for politics at the University of Virginia. A More Perfect Constitution presents creative and dynamic proposals from one of the most visionary and fertile political minds of our time to reinvigorate our Constitution and American governance at a time when such change is urgently needed, given the growing dysfunction and unfairness of our political system . Combining idealism and pragmatism, and with full respect for the original document, Larry Sabato's thought-provoking ideas range from the length of the president's term in office and the number and terms of Supreme Court justices to the vagaries of the antiquated Electoral College, and a compelling call for universal national service-all laced through with the history behind each proposal and the potential impact on the lives of ordinary people. Aware that such changes won't happen easily, but that the original Framers fully expected the Constitution to be regularly revised, Sabato urges us to engage in the debate and discussion his ideas will surely engender. During an election year, no book is more relevant or significant than this.

Do deficits matter? Yes and no, says Daniel Shaviro in this political and economic study. Yes, because fiscal policy affects generational distribution, national saving, and the level of government spending. And no, because the deficit is an inaccurate measure with little economic content. This book provides an invaluable guide for anyone wanting to know exactly what is at stake for Americans in this ongoing debate. "[An] excellent, comprehensive, and illuminating book. Its analysis, deftly integrating considerations of economics, law, politics, and philosophy, brings the issues of 'balanced budgets,' national saving, and intergenerational equity out of the area of religious crusades and into an arena of reason. . . . A magnificent, judicious, and balanced treatment. It should be read and studied not just by specialists in fiscal policy but by all those in the economic and political community."—Robert Eisner, Journal of Economic Literature "Shaviro's history, economics, and political analysis are right on the mark. For all readers."—Library Journal

This book is the only published history focused on government in the Sooner State. Beginning with the elections of the territorial era, the authors narrate a definitive account of state politics through the early 1960s. A final chapter traces the contours of contemporary public affairs, identifying the chief elements that shape today's politics. Every major election in the state's history is included in the book, as well as biographical sketches of the state's foremost political figures. Further, the authors relate the recurrent controversies of the statehouse, where gubernatorial initiatives have often clashed with legislative ambitions. Appropriate attention is also given to the state's role in national affairs. Although comprehensive in scope, Oklahoma Politics is more than a compendium of political data. The authors view the history of the commonwealth as something of a model for understanding the evolution of state politics in general during this century. Oklahoma fits that purpose ideally. Born amid the Progressive reformation of traditional state government, the state has been host to every major subsequent force in American state politics. Grassroots agrarian radicalism, a potent Ku Klux Klan, the turmoil of the Great Depression, the post-World War II revolution in the federal relationship, the emergence of modern Republican conservatism--all these have made Oklahoma a laboratory of political change. Aware of the scholarly literature of political scientists and historians of other states, the authors have incorporated many of their findings to develop a new perspective from which to view Oklahoma's political history. Yet the color and excitement of state politics have not been lost in this careful analysis of how the system has evolved. The result is a book that speaks to those Oklahomans--indeed, those Americans--who seek to understand how state politics works or, on occasion, why it does not.

The federal budget impacts American policies both at home and abroad, and recent concern over the exploding budgetary deficit has experts calling our nation's policies "unsustainable" and "system-dooming." As the deficit continues to grow, will America be fully able to fund its priorities, such as an effective military and looking after its aging population? In this third edition of his classic book The Federal Budget, Allen Schick examines how surpluses projected during the final years of the Clinton presidency turned into oversized deficits under George W. Bush. In his detailed analysis of the politics and practices surrounding the federal budget, Schick addresses issues such as the collapse of the congressional budgetary process and the threat posed by the termination of discretionary spending caps. This edition updates and expands his assessment of the long-term budgetary outlook, and it concludes with a look at how the nation's deficit will affect America now and in the future. "A clear explanation of the federal budget... [Allen Schick] has captured the politics of federal budgeting from the original lofty goals to the stark realities of today."—Pete V. Domenici, U.S. Senate