How to Overthrow the Government

How to Overthrow the Government, Arianna Huffington, ReganBooks (HarperCollins), 2000

A former member in good standing of the Washington Conservative Power Structure, Huffington has written a scathing indictment of the current state of politics in America.

During the 1992 run for Congress of her ex-husband, Michael Huffington, she saw what Michael Harrington called "The Other America", the poverty, the homeless shelters, the lack of health care, in Santa Barbara, California, one of the richest counties in America. During his 1994 US Senate Campaign, Huffington was exposed to the current state of political campaigns; so dominated by pollsters and consultants that for a politician to speak the truth is practically the kiss of death.

The political landscape is so full of deceit and outright lying by our elected leaders, that it's no wonder that people are streaming to the exits to get out of the political process, with those same politicians holding the doors open. Under our current campaign finance system, politicians are not just influenced, they are owned and controlled, by corporate lobbysists and big campaign conrtributors.

The phramaceutical industry has been one of the major contributors behind the recent anti-drug messages aimed at America's youth, while, at the same time, proclaiming that drugs like Prozac or Ritalin are the answer for any child who is less than emotionally perfect. Political campaigns have become sewers where anything and everything about an opponent is fair game. Even "positive" ads usually have large amounts of manipulation and/or outright falsehood.

Well done, Ms Huffington! This book also includes a chapter on how to restore real democracy in America. This one is highly recommended.