Conservative Book Summaries
Common Sense
by Glenn Beck
©
2009 by Mercury Radio Arts, Inc.*
Glenn Beck is a syndicated radio talk show host, who has written several bestselling books and novels. Formerly on the Fox News Channel, he has launched
GBTV on the internet.
I
THE RESHAPING AND REDEFINING OF AMERICA
We didn't vote to change the country, we voted to change Washington. But the "change"
we got was bigger government with more handouts, illustrating just how out of touch
both political parties have become. The change as been coming for a long time, the only
question being, which party would take us over the edge.
Using legitimate crises, such as terrorist attacks and economic chaos, both parties have
claimed illegitimate powers. Most Americans know that something just isn't right, and
the reason is that we have a shortage of honesty and trust. We need to quit talking
about the president or the parties, and start talking about right and wrong. "America has
let thieves into her home and that nagging in your gut is a final warning that our country
is about to be stolen". If that occurs, we can only blame ourselves, for we have
condoned the flawed characters of those we have elected.
We have such little trust in our leaders that we would probably not befriend them, yet
we leave them in charge of our country and our children's futures. "Common sense tells
Common Sense by Glenn Beck © 2009 by Mercury Radio Arts, Inc.
Summary © 2011 Conservative Book Summaries
Page 1
us that this is national suicide". Our leaders are stealing our money while turning our
children against the founding principles with indoctrination that they call education.
We must admit that America has serious problems besides the economic crisis, and that
we all helped to create them. To save ourselves we must live by the founding principles
and rid ourselves of those who do not.
In 1776, the original Common Sense by Thomas Paine showed Americans that the
English government "was out of step with the Laws of Nature". Paine asked simple
questions and asked citizens to take a deeper look at America's problems with simple
logic. Our government now is again out of step. "It is now a government by the
government, of the government, and for the government -- the people be damned."
All of our "experts", from Wall Street, education, and business, have "gotten it wrong for
a very long time". They profess to serve us while pocketing our money, believing that
Americans are too dumb to notice. As a result, we are now left with only two paths to
take. One is toward "transnationalism and the end of American sovereignty", and the
other is toward a restoration of our liberty. We cannot trust those in Washington to make
these decisions.
In our frustration, we ask Washington to "do something", but often, doing nothing is the
best course of action as opposed to making decisions without considering all the
outcomes. Today, the advice of no one on TV can be accepted unconditionally. You must
empower yourself to rediscover our common principles and values.
The so-called experts do not realize what they are doing. To prevent failure in a country
founded on freedom is illogical. We cannot try to change the laws of economics simply
because we don't like the outcome. Common sense applies to all situations -- if
spending beyond your means doesn't work in your house, it won't work in the White
House.
A little debt isn't bad. You can sometimes "... grow your way out of debt if you're young
and healthy". But America is not young or healthy. Its companies are being taxed to
death or run by politicians who have never run a business. "We are the current
guardians of freedom and, because others have let us down, it is now our duty to face
the hard truths and do the right thing...".
Unfortunately, we have reached the point where a great many Americans want the
government to take care of them and tell them what's best for them. Our grandparents
relied on debt only for big things, like a car or a home. Today, we go into debt to live the
lives we think we are entitled to -- we have redefined the American Dream.
The politicians are telling us that if we spend enough money on the problems they
created we can stop the debt spiral. But that lie has finally caught up to them. The
favorite excuses are blaming the problem on the rich, George W. Bush, and shared
sacrifice. Class warfare is not a solution, it is a diversion from the reality that our
government is unreliable and cannot be trusted.
Common Sense by Glenn Beck © 2009 by Mercury Radio Arts, Inc.
Summary © 2011 Conservative Book Summaries
Page 2
It is important to ponder several simple questions:
 Do you trust politicians to tell the truth, especially if it will hurt their re-election?
 How is it possible that every president since Jimmy Carter has promised to reduce our
dependence on foreign oil?
 Are we really supposed to believe that a country that put a man on the moon in eight
years, and built a transcontinental railroad in seven years cannot build a fence on our
southern border that was promised in 2003?
 Why do the same politicians who call America a "melting pot" insist that different races
and nationalities retain their own languages, culture, and heritage?
 Do you believe elected officials consider themselves "public servants"?
The next time there is a crisis in Washington, don't be mislead. It is not wise to follow
politicians who use panic, confusion, and legislation to enact emergency powers. "You
cannot take away freedom to protect it, you cannot destroy the free market to save it,
and you cannot uphold freedom of speech by silencing those with whom you disagree."
You cannot spend your way out of debt.
II MONEY
The Real Opiate of the Masses
With few exceptions, political leaders have become parasites of the American people.
This has been going on for years, but the economic crisis has revealed how they have
squandered our wealth and failed to prepare us for bad times. Unfortunately, our
financial security is directly related to our national security, and our enemies are eagerly
plotting our ultimate ruin.
Debt: How They Purchased Our Silence and Subservience
Thomas Jefferson knew that government debt was morally unacceptable because it
places the debt on future generations. Politicians have made our children the "future
slaves" of our creditors, and have placed America in a position of servitude to the rest of
the world.
Just the interest payment on our debt is about $26 billion per month. This money could
better be used on schools, roads, or national defense. A country that cannot educate or
secure its citizens cannot last.
We have allowed this to happen because such large amounts are foreign and impersonal
to us. With our interest payment of over $300 billion per year we could fully fund for a
Common Sense by Glenn Beck © 2009 by Mercury Radio Arts, Inc.
Summary © 2011 Conservative Book Summaries
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year the Departments of Commerce, Education, Homeland Security, Housing, Energy,
Justice, and Labor.
Politicians tell us the money will come from "the rich", or "the greedy corporations". The
total 2008 profits of Exxon Mobil, General Electric, Wal-Mart, and IBM was only $88
billion, so even a 100% tax would do little good. And, if we took all tax revenue from
every American for the next ten years we still could not pay off the national debt, even
without any interest.
Now How Much Would You Pay? The World's Largest Ponzi Scheme
In a Ponzi scheme, early investors are paid with money from new investors. Social
Security is a "legal Ponzi scheme". Although we were promised that our money would be
set aside for our future use, it has been spent and replaced with an IOU.
Common sense tells us that there's no difference between what Bernie Madoff did and
what the government is doing. They took our money, promised to invest it, then spent it
for their own benefit. Bernie Madoff went to jail -- the politicians are "off to their next
cocktail party." Politicians have promised to pay us $13.6 trillion that they don't have.
III
THE POLITICAL WEAPON OF CHOICE
The U.S. Tax Code
The first tax code in 1913 was fourteen pages long -- it is now more than 67,000 pages.
Six of Obama's nominees had tax problems, excused as honest mistakes. But were they?
Why did no one demand that these nominees explain under oath? If you fail to report
income, the IRS will probably not accept "I forgot", or "I used Turbo Tax" as an excuse.
Timothy Geithner was the "only person smart enough for the Treasury job", and yet he
wasn't smart enough to pay his payroll tax. His employer sent him a check for the
correct amount and made him sign an affidavit acknowledging that the check was to be
used for payroll tax. He is responsible for leading America during an economic crisis and
enforcing the laws he failed to obey.
Common sense tells us that the tax code is too complex. In 2006, Americans spent
$193 billion just to comply with the tax code, which is changed almost every year, for
two simple reasons:
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*
Common Sense by Glenn Beck, is copyright © 2009 by Mercury Radio Arts, Inc. Mercury Radio Arts / Threshold
Editions, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
Common Sense by Glenn Beck © 2009 by Mercury Radio Arts, Inc.
Summary © 2011 Conservative Book Summaries
Page 4
ISBN: 978-1-4391-6857-8
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Common Sense by Glenn Beck © 2009 by Mercury Radio Arts, Inc.
Summary © 2011 Conservative Book Summaries
Page 5