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Are You Liberal? Conservative? or Confused? (Uncle Eric)
Are You Liberal Conservative or Confused - Uncle Eric Author:Rick Maybury, Richard J. Maybury School Library Journal — Gr 9 Up-Writing as ``Uncle Eric'' and structuring his book as a collection of explicatory letters to his nephew, Maybury tries to redefine the notion of political labels, replacing the left-right spectrum with a more inclusive scheme incorporating a scale of one's belief in the relative benefits of government. He wants to... more » reinstate his idea of the original American philosophy, which he calls juris naturalis, or natural law. He denies that objectivity is possible in discussing political subjects, defines political power as the ability to use brute force to enforce rules, and elevates the protection of property to a religious principle. To his credit, he allows that liberals and conservatives may agree in some areas. His chapter on fascism is particularly interesting, but most interesting of all is his comparisons of juris naturalists to moderates; they both combine elements of left and right, but the former want economic and social liberty, while the latter want economic and social encroachment (taxes, rules, etc.). All of this theory is fascinating, but Maybury's system breaks down whenever he gets specific or tries to use historical examples. And he refuses to make any exceptions for his extreme views, leading to all sorts of bizarre conclusions. Frances Moore Lappe's Rediscovering America's Values (Ballantine, 1991) and E.J. Dionne's Why Americans Hate Politics (S.&S., 1992) address these issues in a more balanced manner, while Milton Meltzer's American Politics (Morrow, 1989) provides a more mainstream view.--Jonathan Betz-Zall, Sno-Isle Regional Library System, Edmonds, WA« less