What I Read -- The Conscience of a Conservative

In spite of the recent election, I finally decided to pick up a book I've been meaning to read for a long time. Barry Goldwater's 1960 political treatise The Conscience of a Conservative, is a surprisingly easy read, and short.

The bulk of the theory is contained in the first two chapters of the book, and basically amounts to this: the federal government's job is to do as little as possible while maintaining order in society, because it's entry into spheres where it doesn't belong (1) mucks up the works, (2) steals power from state and local governments more properly suited to address most issues, and (3) destroys the essential, self-reliant nature of man.

The remainder of the book applies his theory to particular issues, all of which I read with interest until the final chapter: "The Soviet Menace."  I skipped that one.

On the whole, this was probably the most readable and understandable work of political theory I've ever read. It was a pleasure to pick up, and I wish I had done so sooner.