Hamilton's Curse

Received this book as a gift from from one of my engineer's.
Was written by Thomas J. DiLorenzo and published in 2008, as a paperback it is 209 pages long and  has another 23 page of footnotes.
Having read and enjoyed Alexander Hamilton written by Ron Chernow released in 2004, I was somewhat taken aback by the more candid approach to this historic figure.
Basically it describes how Hamilton was an advocate of the mercantile system of England, a system that favored keeping those with money over those without.  A perpetuation of power if you will.
During the Constitutional Convention Hamilton pushed for a permanent Presidential post and all power emanating from a central government.  The followers of Jefferson prevailed at the convention and constructed a document based on limiting and balancing the powers of government. Hamilton circumvented the Constitution by participating in the creation of the Federalist papers, documents meant to explain the background reasons for the what the Constitution was meant to be.  Placed in power during the Presidency of Washington, Hamilton built a central banking system and a standing army both of which were not allowable by the Constitution but instead based on expansive expression of the the need to govern i the general interest of citizens.
Hamilton was killed in a dual with Aaron Burr, but his principle lived on in the Supreme Court and within the Whig and later Republican parties.  New England's dominance of national politics, excepting the periods of the Virginians and Andrew Jackson favored the mercantile system and the process that restricts growth of business in favor of existing business. It is an old idea that continues today.
The culminating blow came in 1913, when Woodrow Wilson, a Georgian, fostered the start of the current income tax, the 17th amendment which granted stated to directly elect senators and lastly the creation of the Federal Reserve system.  All were sold as what was good for the general welfare, all have delivered the negatively to the object of their intent.
DiLorenzo explains that today members of both major political parties claim intelligence to the ideals of Hamilton. The Republicans agree with his philosophy to build policies that favor business.  The Democrats agree with the notion that strong central government is best. Both principles are in dominant application today and the result is big business likes the regulation of big government because it protects them from entrepreneurship.
The book is very good and I recommend for those who wish to enrich their conservative-libertarian knowledge.

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