{"product_id":"the-illusory-bargain-liberty-in-the-aftermath-of-the-17th-amendment-9781612546773","title":"The Illusory Bargain: Liberty in the Aftermath of the 17th Amendment","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eOut-of-control debt. Populism. Political vitriol and corruption. Where did America go wrong? Or rather, \u003cem\u003ewhen\u003c\/em\u003e did America go wrong?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e1913. The Seventeenth Amendment is ratified, allowing the people of America to vote directly for their senators in the US senate. The same year, the Federal Reserve Act is passed, establishing a central bank to oversee monetary policy. In \u003cem\u003eThe Illusory Bargain\u003c\/em\u003e, Ralph H. Lehman demonstrates that these seemingly empowering and people-serving pieces of legislature were just that-an illusion. Tracing the vision of the Founding Fathers as outlined in \u003cem\u003eThe Federalist Papers\u003c\/em\u003e, Lehman reveals how the safety features of the original constitutional framework have eroded since and given way to rampant abuse of power and arbitrary, tyrannical law. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThrough fresh, historically informed insights and over twenty years of financial expertise, Lehman reexamines the nation's fundamental values and proposes what may be the only course of action left to restore our liberty.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Brown Books Publishing Group\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/06\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781612546773\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 248\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.65lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.10h x 5.30w x 0.80d","brand":"Ralph H. Lehman","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45351313998005,"sku":"9781612546773","price":21.21,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_b41658db-da12-4b74-b9ba-eb26db285678.jpg?v=1746540961","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-illusory-bargain-liberty-in-the-aftermath-of-the-17th-amendment-9781612546773","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}