"Charlotte A. Twight proves beyond doubt that the growth of dependence on government in the past seventy years has not been accidental, that its creation has been bipartisan, and that it is accelerating. She reveals a universal tactic used by federal officials to expand government authority over the lives of all Americans and exposes the many forms this tactic has taken. Twight shows how growing federal power--driven by legislation, validated by Supreme Court decisions, and accelerated by presidential ambition--has eroded the rule of law in our nation, leaving almost no activity that the central government cannot at its discretion regulate, manipulate, or prohibit." - by the publisher

The Federalist Papers rank with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution itself as basic statements of American democracy and tell us in a unique fashion what the Founders had in mind as they defined the essence and form of a new government. No words better describe the birth of our nation.  On the web from the Library of Congress.
The Federalist Papers (Bantam Classic 1989) Buy this from Amazon.com - paperback
"The Federalist Papers Reader," by Frederick Quinn (Editor), A. E. Dick Howard, Warren E. Burger (Seven Locks 1996).
The 23 most relevant essays, written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, have been gathered here by historian Frederick Quinn, who describes the issues and captures the personalities in a lively introductory essay, and provides explanatory remarks for each paper. Buy this from Amazon.com - hardcover

"Can our system adapt to the new form of democracy forming via the electronic age? Will the new communication age usher in a nation governed not by professional politicians but by citizens themselves? Grossman answers these questions and many others clearly and provocatively as he brings the features of our rapidly changing political environment into focus."

"Intellectuals and the American Presidency: Philosophers, Jesters, or Technicians?" by Tevi Troy, hardcover (Rowen & Littlefield, 2002)
"Tevi Troy has written an interesting and highly engaging chronicle of the ever-increasing relevance of public intellectuals and think tank denizens on how the Presidents govern. Intellectuals and the American Presidency is also one of the most important books recently written about the Presidency, and its pages teach us that a key ingredient for Oval Office success is a coherence of ideas, the presence of which can multiply the perceived strength of any President." from an Amazon reviewer

"This is the best short biography of Madison. At times Ketcham seems to be doing a bit of inventory - and there may be some differences in interpretation - but it is comprehensive. " --Amazon.com reader

"Over 200 years after the founding of the federal republic, James Madison remains the most important political thinker in American history. The prime framer of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Madison was also a brilliant expositor of the new republican government and its underlying principles. His eloquent and insightful writing on freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the press, the rights of minorities under majority rule, the role of the states in the federal system, and the separation of powers are central to American political thought and speak to the controversies of the present day."

Discusses how "the more parochial a lobby is, the more likely it is to form and thrive." Jonathan Rauch, writing in The Wall Street Journal
This title is available for purchase in paperback (Harvard University Press, 1971)

"A hands-on, user-friendly, somewhat irreverant guide to the management technique known as performance measurement for federal, state and local government public managers."

"This book is a great analysis of how the media's pollsters twist the wording of questions to get the results they want, from the Clinton impeachment polls to the more recent debate on taxes. This is a book the major media outlets definitely wouldn't want you to read - which is all the more reason to buy it!" from an Amazon reviewer.

"The first translation of Plato's Republic that attempts to be strictly literal, this volume has been long regarded as the closest and best English translation available. This second edition includes a new introduction by Allan Bloom and a valuable new essay, as well as indexes and a glossary of terms to better enable the reader to approach the heart of Plato's intention."
This title is available for purchase in paperback (Basic Books, 1991)

"The Rise and Decline of Nations: Economic Growth, Stagflation, and Social Rigidities," by Mancur Olson
"The thesis of this brilliant book is that the longer a society enjoys political stability, the more likely it is to develop powerful special-interest lobbies that in turn make it less efficient economically." Charles Peters, The Washington Monthly.
This title is available for purchase in paperback (Yale University Press, 1984)

[A] timeless classic on the ways and mores of our nation's capitol. With Washington, the illustrious longtime editorial page editor of The Washington Post wrote an instant classic, a sociology of Washington, D.C., that is as wise as it is wry. Greenfield, a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for commentary, wrote the book secretly in the final two years of her life.
This title is available for purchase in paperback (PublicAffairs,2002)

"'Americans entrust their government to novices,' Riback and Goddard remind us. 'Every November they elect a bunch of people who have never done this before.' You Won, Now What? offers practical tips on the task of governance, drawing upon real-life examples to illustrate how elected officials can do an effective job in their first--and in some ways most critical--days on the job. Their scope is broad--the authors consider state and local governments to be just as important as the federal government in maintaining quality of life for citizens--but the case studies keep the book from sliding into generalizations."
Available for purchase in hardcover (Scribner, 1998) or paperback (Simon & Schuster, 1999)