Church Insurance Simplified

Book Description

An up to date reference book for the Church to evaluate insurance needs and make the best buying decision. This book will cover the basics on selecting a Company, an Agent and the most appropriate coverage to protect the assets of your church. Subjects like Sexual Misconduct, Discrimination, Certificates of Insurance and 15-passenger vans are issues included along with safety prevention guidelines to keep your coverage in force.

Average customer rating:

Why less is sometimes more

A Rare Book in the Middle

Not the best place to look for a balanced view

Sunstein's Wishful Thinking Theory of Constitutional Analysis

A fine and educational book, but completely overlooking

Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing Courts are Wrong for America
Cass R. Sunstein
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

Active Liberty: Interpreting Our Democratic Constitution

America's Constitution: A Biography

A Matter of Interpretation: Federal Courts and the Law (The University Center for Human Values Series)

Justice in Robes

A Court Divided: The Rehnquist Court and the Future of Constitutional Law

ASIN: B000MKYKUE

Amazon.com

According to legal scholar Cass Sunstein, it is not enough to label judges as "liberal" or "conservative" or any other ideological stripe; one must also take into account their approach to constitutional interpretation. In Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing Courts Are Wrong for America, he outlines four approaches that have long dominated constitutional debate--perfectionism, majoritarianism, minimalism, and fundamentalism--and argues for minimalism and against fundamentalism (perfectionism and majoritarianism are given less attention since they have largely fallen out of favor in recent decades). Minimalists believe in narrow, incremental decisions rather than broad rulings. They respect precedent, recognize the limited role of the judiciary, and "seek outcomes on which people with varying views can agree." Fundamentalists believe the Constitution must be interpreted according to "original understanding," or precisely what was meant at the time of ratification. "In the abstract, fundamentalism appears both principled and neutral. But too much of the time, fundamentalists offer an unmistakably partisan vision of the Constitution," he asserts. Though he acknowledges that fundamentalism can sometimes be reasonable, the risks of abuse are too great, leading him to conclude that the approach is "destructive and pernicious" because it leads to less freedom for Americans. In practice, for instance, it could ban the sale of contraceptives, invalidate most environmental regulations, allow discrimination on the basis of race and sex, allow states to establish official churches, and overturn even modest gun control laws.

Though they claim a devotion to history, Sunstein believes fundamentalists are "seeking to produce a federal judiciary that operates as an arm of the political branches." In making this point, Sunstein shows how "judicial activism" by extreme conservative judges has been on the rise since the Reagan administration, moving the Supreme Court hard to the right in the process. He discusses the implications of this shift on issues such as the right to privacy, marriage, affirmative action, national security, the separation of powers, gun control, and religion in public life, among others. In Radicals in Robes, Sunstein skillfully outlines complex constitutional issues in clear language, making this a useful and thought-provoking book for lay readers and legal experts alike. --Shawn Carkonen

Book Description

Even with the recent changes in its makeup, most people think the Supreme Court is roughly balanced between left and right. This is a myth. In fact the justices once considered right-wing are now the Court's moderates; those who were once centrists are now the Court's "liberals"; and the liberal element, once represented by Thurgood Marshall and William Brennan, has all but disappeared.

Many people also think that judicial activism is the province of liberals. This is also a myth; since William Rehnquist was confirmed as Chief Justice in 1986, the Supreme Court has struck down decisions of Congress more than thirty times-an unprecedented record of judicial activism. Some conservatives want to return to the eighteenth-century Constitution or to restore "the Constitution in Exile," by which they mean the Constitution as it existed before the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

In Radicals in Robes, Cass R. Sunstein explains what this constitutional vision would mean. It would endanger environmental regulations, campaign finance laws, and the right to privacy. It would threaten the Federal Communications Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, and many other federal agencies. It might well allow states to establish official religions. It would impose sharp new limits on Congress's authority to protect rights.

Radicals in Robes pulls away the veil of rhetoric from a dangerous and radical movement and issues a strong and passionate warning about what some extremists really intend. One of the most respected legal theorists in the country, Sunstein here issues a warning of compelling concern to us all.

Customer Reviews:

Why less is sometimes more.......2007-06-12

This book has helped me to stregthen my view, that it is always dangerous to strive for a greater good by utterly human means. That is what the fundamentalists do. They believe to be in a position that allows them to pass judgement on everybody else, but not on themselves. A fundamentalist does not doubt his cause. That is frightening.
Mr. Sunstein built a pretty strong case against such an approach to the founding document of every state - the constitution. Coming from a former Communist country, the Czech Republic, I do think that there is much at stake here. Especially when someone claims to hold the ultimate truth. Talk to our president about it.
My only objection aims at the use of the notes, which are at times too vague to my liking, but that is quite a minor critique.

A Rare Book in the Middle.......2006-11-03

I consider myself conservative and like judges Scalia and Thomas, but I found Mr Sunstein's book a truly moderate one. He acknowledges that Roe was a mistaken ruling and this established his credentials as a moderate for me. I was then willing to read the rest of the book with an open mind and reassessed some of my positions on other issues. I found his chanpter on affirmative action weak, but most of the book was nonpartisan and logical.

Not the best place to look for a balanced view.......2006-09-28

This book's biggest failure is its assumption that its readers will share the author's own political views.

Cass Sunstein is a well-known academic, whose articles have proven extremely illuminating and helpful to many. This book has none of those characteristics. Though his articles on the regulatory state have changed the way I think about statutory interpretation, I cannot say this book persuaded me at all.

The author strongly criticizes "fundamentalism" (perhaps better known as "originalism"). He warns the reader that because "originalism" is aligned so closely with conservatives'/Republican's political views, that it must be the case that the originalist view suffers from bias.

The author does not anticipate that some readers, such as myself, are socially liberal, and yet find textualism and originalism appealing. His arguments thus failed to speak to me-- he tells the reader that originalism= conservatism, and yet i believe in originalism, but am socially liberal. What gives?

He then takes cheap shots on originalism, which he should know better than to make. He marches out a parade of horribles that would result if originalism were accepted. For example, he argues that school segregation may be permissible, the EPA's authority may be proscribed, etc. etc. He does not take into account many originalist's view (including my own), that if it were not for the Court's legislating from teh bench, that the political process (via Constitutional amendments) would prohibit discrimination, and expand the scope of agencies' powers.

His myopic view is all the more startling when one reads his defense of "minimalism" (Sunstein's preferred view). Sunstein states that we should accept the Constitution as it is currently, but that one should take "minimalist" approaches in providing any further changes. The critics argue that Sunstein is simply happy with the current Constitution, and ergo espouses the "minimalist" view, to which he responds:

"Suppose perfectionsits really can show that their approach produced a number of decisions taht are desirable and that no other approach could have generated. The principled minimalist responds: So what? If the Court had not acted, the democratic process might have done so instead."

Yet, in hypocritical fashion, Sunstein launches into a tirade against originalism, arguing that that approach reaches undesirable results. As an originalist, I'd argue: "If the Court had not acted, the democratic process might have done so instead." Sunstein does not allow originalists this defense, and it is shocking that he would nonetheless use that argument himself.

This is a better book than you will find by the likes of Ann Coulter or Michael Moore. It is not a bad book, but just very, very disappointing to those who expected more from the author. Given Sunstein's unbelievably brilliant law review articles, I'm shocked and disappointed by his patently biased discourse in this book. I refuse to believe that he, in good faith, actually believes the arguments he makes (he argues, for example, that originalism is tantamount to the "rule of the dead"; yet, Brown vs. Board of Education was written by judges who are now dead-- would he suggest that we ignore that decision because those judges are dead? Surely a man as smart as he understands that we respect legal texts because of the process they went through to attain the status as binding law, and not out of reverence for the dead).

I could not help but feel that this is simply a thinly veiled attack on conservatives. I do not mind people attacking conservatives-- i'm a minority/atheist/social liberal who also cannot stand "jesus freaks." But, when an author as accomplished as Sunstein parades a political attack as an academic work, I cannot help but be disappointed. I give this book 2 stars, and not 1 star, because people who feel insecure in their originalist views should read this book to see that many of the criticisms of originalism are quite specious.

I hope he writes again on the topic-- I would be very interested in reading what he would say about a subject like this if he made a conscious effort to remove his political views.

Sunstein's Wishful Thinking Theory of Constitutional Analysis.......2006-07-17

I will focus solely on Sunstein's take on the Second Amendment. He supports the so-called "collective rights" theory which a) runs exactly contrary to the plain text of the amendment b) the historical understanding of the courts and c) against the current "standard model" of legal interpretation of the Second Amendment (which is in fact a return to the historical view of the right - an individual right). He ignores the 14th Amendment and incorrectly interprets one of the few modern Second Amendment cases - Miller (which ruled that weapons suitable for military (militia) use ARE protected. Sunstein bends and twists language, precedent and history to yeild his desired interpretation, rather than be informed by the same as to what the writers of the Constitution intended. This way lies madness, where words have no meaning or context and the Constitution is maleable as wax, offering no limits on the government and no protection to the citizens rights. Don't waste your time or money on this book, as the subject of this fiction is politics and not the Constitution.

A fine and educational book, but completely overlooking.......2006-03-21

This book completely overlooks the very constitutional perogrative, that the power to change the clear meaning of the constitution lies with We The People, and nowhere else.

I realize that making a case for fundamentalism is asking for some ugly reversions to earlier interpretations that our society no longer accepts -- but it is WE who should change the text of the constitution to realign it with the "consent of the governed". This is our duty, and it has been taken away from us. Far reaching judicial interpretations -- most of which we all agree with and consent to -- have lulled us asleep, and allowed unelected judges to rewrite the clear meaning of constitutional law.

It was never their job to do this, it was ours all along. We must reclaim it.

Judging the judges: liberals need a new constitutional vision to guide their decisions. Cass Sunstein may have it.(Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing ... : An article from: Washington Monthly

Average customer rating:

Judging the judges: liberals need a new constitutional vision to guide their decisions. Cass Sunstein may have it.(Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing ... : An article from: Washington Monthly
Stephen Pomper
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Washington Monthly, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2005. The length of the article is 2439 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Judging the judges: liberals need a new constitutional vision to guide their decisions. Cass Sunstein may have it.(Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing Courts Are Wrong for America)(Book Review)
Author: Stephen Pomper
Publication: Washington Monthly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 37 Issue: 9 Page: 42(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing Courts Are Wrong for America.(Book review): An article from: Trial

Average customer rating:

Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing Courts Are Wrong for America.(Book review): An article from: Trial
Erwin Chemerinsky
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Trial, published by Thomson Gale on August 1, 2006. The length of the article is 771 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing Courts Are Wrong for America.(Book review)
Author: Erwin Chemerinsky
Publication: Trial (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 42 Issue: 8 Page: 63(2)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Wedding and portrait photographers are shown how to use power marketing-a systematic, proactive approach that takes advantage of the best possible resources available to photographers-to make wholesale changes in the way they run their businesses. They learn to take the proactive steps needed to generate a better income, cater to their artistic notions, and devote more time to life beyond the studio walls. Strategies are provided to supercharge a marketing effort's reach and visibility, bringing the photographer more clients and better profits. The same techniques used by marketing pros from major corporations are outlined for photographers, including creating slogans that show target audiences what they do and how they do it and learning how to best use everything from the Internet presence and press releases to pricing and business cards.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Marketing Ideas.......2006-03-04

As a professional photographer, I found the ideas in this book to be helpful and profitable. The author methodically explains his concepts in an easy to read and enjoyable writing style.

Getting just one valuable idea would make this book worthwhile. I got several out of this text.

Too Much Fluff.......2005-03-17

Amherst Media publishes some great books. Their books are usually to the point and full of practical examples etc. This particular book it nothing like others that I have read. The author rambles on and on without getting to the point until the end of the chapter. The author goes on tangents, discussing topics like "the percentage of people who can remember a punch-line to a joke" (I am serious). There are some good tips but you must search through 90% of fluff to get to one or two good points.

Marketing Madness: Power Marketing for Portrait Wedding Photographers

Average customer rating:

Marketing Madness: Power Marketing for Portrait Wedding Photographers
Helen T. Boursier
Manufacturer: Studio Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Professional | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0934420130

Customer Reviews:

More please!.......2005-06-23

An excellent book that should be updated on a regular (every two years?) basis. Why isn't the publisher doing this?!!

Good, easy review of the main parts of U.S. economy.......1999-02-15

This book is useful for marketing people who want an easy-to-understand introduction to U.S. industries which they are considering as markets for their products and services. Another benefit is that the book provides its sources of information for additional and more up-to-date information. Too bad this book hasn't been updated since 1994. A revision every two or three years would be worth buying.

An Illustrated Guide to the American Economy

Average customer rating:

A thought provoking ... "Wow!"
Invaluable

An Illustrated Guide to the American Economy
Herbert Stein , and Murray Foss
Manufacturer: AEI Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 084473800X

Book Description

This book is a valuable asset for anyone seeking to make sense of economic news or, more importantly, to place it in a broader context.

Customer Reviews:

A thought provoking ... "Wow!".......2004-03-15

Wow! I was stunned by the captivating, thought provoking quality of this book. It illustrates high-octane concepts, while pricing them at regular unleaded levels. A very interesting, right brained approach to a left brained subject, Macro Economics.

Some highlights.

-Interested in the plight of the poor versus the rich income levels?
-How does drastically education influences income level?
-Did you know there are several indices to measure poverty? The one you use can either over or understate the truly poor.
-How is our productivity growing versus Japan's?

There is much more inside. Highly recommended for anyone interested in economics, politics, and the real numbers that put food in our bellies, clothes on our backs, and impacts the long-term health of our nation.

Invaluable.......2002-11-26

The Illustrated Guide really is. It's a non-axe-grinding report on many long term trends in American life and a useful reference when people of one political stripe or another make broad statements.

The New Illustrated Guide to the American Economy: 100 Key Issues

Average customer rating:

The New Illustrated Guide to the American Economy: 100 Key Issues
Herbert Stein , and Murray Foss
Manufacturer: Aei Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Econometrics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Economic Conditions | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Theory | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Economic Conditions | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Mediocre Book.......2000-08-12

This book has good ideas and presents a basic outlay of marketing on the web. Like a lot of other books on this subject, the promises are a bit thick while the meat is a bit thin. There's a lot of small details this book misses. Instead, the book mentions this principals, but the implementation is up to you. This book also gets reduced another star for being dated. Written in 1995, in the infancy of the web, a lot has changed now. This book misses important tactics needed today. Also, it devles into other tactics that were appropiated in the early days of the web that are not applicable today. This book picks some of the low hanging fruit that was available back then, relying upon their uniqueness for their success. Try these same ideas today, and they're old and stale.

Book Description

EASY BUDGETING SYSTEM THAT FITS IN YOUR CHECKBOOK

Customer Reviews:

A great system for any budget!.......2007-05-26

Inexpensive Start up-
Up front... Starting this system will not commit you to buying checkbook booklets for the rest of your days. Simply put cut one of the three sample booklets out of the back of the book with a razor blade and hit the copy store. Copy what you need for the year and then file the original. (If cutting up books bugs you, buy a second copy used for under a few dollars.)

This system is basically the envelope system on paper. If paper bugeting scares you to death start with training wheels. Try the envelope system first. You can find info free about it on the web. Don't buy some expensive plan.

If keeping track of every breath you take is painful, then this will be rough for you in the beginning. Honestly facing where you are spending is the first step. Be sure to allow yourself a budgeted amount of money that you *do not have to account for. This will minimize the feeling of having your every breath counted. For me it is ussually 10 dollars. Your budget is likely very different than mine. But, it is awfully nice to not have to account for tic tacs. :o)

Give it a try!

Also try your money or your life.

some people need to budget.......2006-05-02

This book is a great tool to learn how to be excellent with your money. I love how people (or a certain reviewer) think that budgeting is over-rated/evil. I doubt that you could find a successful business or a millionaire who doesn't budget everything. Many people have plenty of money and plenty of skill and wheel power to not spend more then you make, and still know how to come out ahead. But there is a reason that bankruptcies and debt problems have sky rocketed in the past ten years. Some people just don't know how to spend and save, or some people are like me; I had some bad things happen in life that caused me to be in a lot of debt not by my choosing. Because of this I could not afford an expensive financial planer to help me.

The budget product that "Rich on Any Income" talks about is $12 that is $1 a month; it is a little book, like a check balancing book. Yes this can be duplicated in any number of ways, from Excel to a .25 cent note pad. But the key is this book gives you the know how to get out of debt and stay out of debt!

This is a great book for young people learning about money as well

Mhalky

best budget book I've read.......2005-10-08

I managed to survive on VERY little money in a time of need because of the principles I learned in this book. I highly recommend it to everyone. It truely teaches how to best use your money to get what you want out of life.

This is a GREAT System.......2004-12-28

This book is great! Being on such a tight budget ourselves, it has saved me many, many hours of frustration. It is like using the envelope system, but it is right in your checkbook and you know at a moment's notice where you are with your budget. I strongly suggest this to anyone who has to budget to live on their income.

Some great concepts.......2004-04-01

Budgeting is hard, it requires discipline... especially for those of us who struggle to make ends meet. Its not as easy as the previous reviewer seems to think... sound principles, good tools, and daily personal flogging are required to get your financial life in order.

This book teaches sound principles and is a very easy read. The methods taught are manual and require discipline to implement... I have found it to be difficult to implement personally because of the manual nature. But... I am sold on the envelope budgeting concept and know that if I can implement it and stick with it, it will help me get on top of my finances. I like that you dont need to buy his tools to implement the principles he teaches, but I intend to try them out to see how they work.

Getting Rich on Any Income: 81 Ways to Increase Your Wealth-Even If You're in Debt

Average customer rating:

Getting Rich on Any Income: 81 Ways to Increase Your Wealth-Even If You're in Debt
Jeff Gomez
Manufacturer: Carol Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Credit Ratings & Repair | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Financial Planning | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0806515198

Money Savvy: How to Live Rich on Any Income (Men's Health Life Improvement Guides)

Average customer rating:

A MUST have!

Money Savvy: How to Live Rich on Any Income (Men's Health Life Improvement Guides)

Manufacturer: Rodale Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Conditions | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Economic Conditions | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Budgeting & Money Management | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0875965059

Book Description

Regardless of income level, Money Savvy will help any man gain control of his finances. Whether he wants to measure his net worth, get out from crushing debt, negotiate lower prices, or make the right investments, this book has the answers. Readers will also discover: * Strategies for paying off mortgages and other loans fast
* How to set up a budget and plan for the future
* How to retire early and in style

The book also profiles celebrated money masters, including financial advisor Andrew Tobias and nationally syndicated money columnist Humberto Cruz. Money Savvy is a must-have for any man who cares about his finances.

Customer Reviews:

A MUST have!.......2000-04-27

The entire "Men's Health" live improvement guides are top-notch and this book is no exception.

We all deal with money and how you management it is paramount. This book helps to educate you to the fact that no matter how much you make (From minnimum wage on up), you can live comfortably and make more money from it!

The book is broken down into five outstanding sections:

-The Money Mindset (Plenty of forms to fill out to let you know where the money is going, etc. and how to set budgets, etc...the basic but important stuff)

-Tactics for daily living (Everything from shopping to bill paying and more. Learn how to use your money wisely on a daily basis)

-Tactics for smart investing (A MUST...learn how to make your money grow...makes it easy to understand how to invest without a degree)

-The Big-Ticket issues (Here it is...car buying to Houses, it's all covered basically. Learn what you NEED TO KNOW)

-Retirement planning (See, this book covers it all...learn strategies as well as things you should know about social security, etc.)

And finally they have real-life scenarious by real people. A trademark of these books...Famous and ordinary people describe situations you may encounter (that they HAVE encountered and succeeded in overcoming) and how they covercame them.

Get the book and you'll enjoy reading it so much you'll have virtually every page dog-eared!

Average customer rating:
Rich on Any Income: The Easy Budgeting System That Fits in Your Checkbook
James P.; Combs Christensen
Manufacturer: Shadow Mountain
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000Q343MM

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books