Samples, John. (2010). The Struggle to Limit Government: A Modern Political History

Excerpt

John Samples has a rich and varied career, having served as the director for Georgetown University Press, vice president of the Twentieth Century Fund, an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University, and most recently as director of the Center for Representative Government at the Cato Institute. Samples’ new book, which comes from his work with the Cato Institute, examines efforts to limit the size of government through the lens of a conservative libertarian. More specifically, he asks whether attempts to reduce the scope of the federal government, since Ronald Reagan’s election, have been successful. To answer this question, Samples focuses on tax and spending policies—especially in the areas of Social Security and Medicare—as well as election outcomes and public opinion polls. …