This is an absolutely essential document concerning government.

Consider Lockean libertarianism, which allows unilateral use and appropriation [of natural resources] but requires the satisfaction of some version of the Lockean proviso that “enough and as good” be left for others. Lockean libertarianism views natural resources as initially unprotected by any property rule (no consent is needed for use or appropriation) but as protected by a compensation liability rule. Those who use natural resources, or claim rights over them, owe compensation to others for any costs imposed (Cf. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/lib...).

Mark Townsend and Paul Harris reported in The Observer, Sunday 22 February 2004, that: "Climate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters.

A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world.

Not surprisingly, the United States Federal government is preparing to take over the ownership of all of the water within its borders and away from its citizens and States and outlaw its use except as allowed by its Department of Homeland Security.

The US Senate on 2 April 2009 introduced a new law called the Clean Water Restoration Act (S.787 IS) to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act) by, and quoting directly from this new law:

(1) by striking `navigable waters of the United States' each place it appears and inserting `waters of the United States';

(2) in section 304(l)(1) by striking `NAVIGABLE WATERS' in the heading and inserting `WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES'; and

(3) by striking `navigable waters' each place it appears and inserting `waters of the United States'

and then adding:

(25) WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES- The term `waters of the United States' means all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, and all impoundments of the foregoing, to the fullest extent that these waters, or activities affecting these waters, are subject to the legislative power of Congress under the Constitution.'

Rarely has a government so sweepingly appropriated a basic natural resource such as water away from its people.

A masterpiece that refined ideas of the early political philosophers (Aristotle, Hobbes, Rousseau) into what became American government. I can understand why the Federalist authors relied on Locke and see directly his influence in those works. All of the key elements are there: libertarianism (trade-off of commonwealth to protect property against the initiation of force), balance of powers, ultimate recourse of the people, state of nature, benefits of commonwealth, justice. He builds with the elements of power -- slavery is not a right but a sustained state of war, paternal power is different than power of the government. Regarding robbery, he contrasts the effect of that done by an individual with that done by government, the former being abhorrent, the latter lauded. Regarding the fall of government, Locke draws distinctions between conquest (external), usurpation (internal), tyranny (internal with the benefit going to the tyrant), and degradation into anarchy. The basis of political society is that people give up their natural right of force available in a state of nature to get the protection of property, which includes threat of punishment and legal recourse. The latter provides for the third branch of government. Regarding monarchy, he shows that almost all forms were at some point elective, originally when a king was designated and accepted; later anytime that decision is validated. The legislative is the first and supreme power, being directly designated by the people. ( )

Smaller than The Prince in length of pages but more broad than The Leviathan in terms of affirmative discussion of political structure. Whereas The Leviathan spends most of its time on the state of nature, and The Prince is antiquated in monarchy, Locke disposes with the state of nature quickly, and then discusses what we should do in terms of government. Read this if you can't stomach The Leviathan but have more intellectual interest than those who stop with The Prince. It's important that anybody who has any interest in American government have this on their shelves. A must for political scientists. ( )

College book.

This is the groundbreaking work of political philosophy that laid a philsophical framework for the existence of individual rights. Locke considers why people created government in the first place, using it as a basis to argue for a limited government with clear laws created to protect "life, liberty and property." Not exactly light reading for the poolside, but mandatory if you want to understand where the ideology of the US constitution came from. ( )