Unless you're really into satirical humor crossbred with politics, I really wouldn't read it. It's the same conservative story told with cynicism. The writer's got a lot of talent though!

Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government by P. J. O'Rourke (2003)

donated copy

I’m giving the late O’Rourke an extra half-star for his career and his honesty, but what was amusing in 1991 now seems cold and cranky, such as remarks about feminists and the ADA. However, his points about government ineffiency still stand, for exactly the reasons he lays out in the last chapter, on a New England town meeting: government is about people, and people have conflicting interests, and nobody wants to compromise when there’s a lot of money at stake. (Add in corporations and lobbyists and the problem gets exponentially worse.)

Also, his maxim still holds true for the most part: “The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it.”

If only the last part of that statement hadn’t taken on a poisonous tinge in the last 15 years.

Bro is really out here making jokes about the government giving out licenses to kill old people so we don’t have to pay social security

O'Rourke is funny, but his humor is not dynamic. His political criticism is at times insightful, but for the most part unsophisticated and blunt, and his jokes often fall short because of this bluntness. He gives a pretty generic libertarian critique of government, ranting against government inefficiency without giving a viable alternative. He rails against the farm bill, entitlements, elderly monopolization of politics, environmentalists, and points out various absurdities in the government. His criticism rings most true when he points the finger at the ignorance of the voters themselves. His conservatism rings hollow and ignorant especially in his macho-shooting-shit-is-cool defense of military spending. His tone is unrealistically pessimistic. If one were to be introduced to American government through this book, one would find it hard to believe that America is the most powerful and wealthy society in the world. In the end, this book is good for one-liners that hint at depth of insight that was never there.

Political analysis and humor that blew my teenage mind back in the early nineties. Probably still worth a look by those unfamiliar.

Somehow PJ O'Rourke was humorous enough to ingratiate himself to me without me realizing I was giggling alongside libertarian jokes. By the time I realized I was falling into Ron Paul swamp, it was too late. I'd been transmogrified into Ludwig von Mises--bad mustache, crappy philosophy and all.

Well temporarily. After shaking off my giggles I realized I still didn't like libertarianism very much, but I did appreciate the author's libertarian message, which was as follows:

Collectively we (normal people) make pretty stupid decisions. We break stuff, lie, fool ourselves, and then sue people for self-esteem. Worse, we mob together when we do that. When we vote and make laws, that doesn't stop.

True enough, but I still believe we should all have some sort of healthcare and minimum wage, even if that makes me part of the self-interested mob.