Rackets Series

This three-book series, Rackets, presents the case for the legalization of drugs and gambling, along with the decriminalization of prostitution. It reveals the underlying corruption, hypocrisy, and abuses of power associated with the prohibition of these three vices. The war on drugs is a microcosm of far greater systemic problems with criminal justice and politics. This book shines a spotlight on the bureaucratic and corporate special interests that are fighting to keep this disastrous policy in place. That’s a theme of this book series -- exposing “rackets.” It denounces crony capitalists and the government "racketeers," i.e. bureaucracies, which operate similarly to organized criminals by posing as the solution to problems caused by the government. Suffice it to say, these books will prove that our political and criminal justice systems, in many ways, are inadvertently designed to fail...like rackets. The Drug War: A Trillion Dollar Con Game stands out from the crowd in a genre that is flooded with quality work. It makes it abundantly clear that criminalizing drugs has been an abysmal failure. Furthermore, practical and evidence-based solutions are presented. However, what sets this book apart is that it strips away every disingenuous aspect of the war on drugs. It’s the perfect antidote to decades of government propaganda. There are too many stunning revelations to list. You’ll discover all of the ways in which in the war on drugs serves as a pretense for expanding government power and our military forces abroad. Also, several major corporations and government agencies have been complicit in flagrant drug trafficking without being held accountable. This is explosive subject matter and Brian Saady's writing provides compelling, definitive analysis that is backed by extensive academic research. You’ll never look at the drug war, and many other issues, the same way as before. Editorial Reviews Eternal Truth: People and institutions - including government - act in their own economic self-interest. (Sorry to shock you.) So that is how government, which is a huge special-interest group, has been acting - from its inception. In that regard, things like mind-altering and sometimes addicting drugs, prostitution and gambling have always been present in every society. But if government makes them illegal, it spawns a big bureaucracy to enforce those laws of prohibition. And that necessarily increases the size, cost and power of government, which government likes. But if the products are regulated and controlled, then two things happen. First the Al Capones and pimps of those worlds will lose so much money that they will probably go out business and,second, those products will be delivered more safely, and will also be taxed. And through all of that, the amount of drugs, prostitution and gambling will most likely stay about the same. So what's not to like? This is what Brian Saady shows so forcefully and completely in his trilogy - which is a strong and healthy addition to the "common wisdom." Read it, and you will agree. Judge James P. Gray (Ret.) Author of "Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed" (Temple University Press,2d edition, 2012) and 2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President. "Impressively informed and informative, "The Drug War," is exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, making it an ideal and very highly recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Social Issues collections..." Midwest Book Review

Dealing From the Bottom of the Deck provides the full history of American gambling. There are certainly flaws with modern legalized gambling. However, the situation was far worse when this activity was entirely illegal and unregulated. This book takes you back to the days of the western frontier when disputes were often settled by gunfire and naïve gamblers were routinely bamboozled. Likewise, gang wars often determined who controlled these underground markets in urban areas. In turn, organized crime used the profits to fuel cycles of political corruption. The examples provided are not only insightful, but they also add to a genuinely entertaining reading experience. The second volume of the Rackets series covers the birth of the mafia-dominated casino industry. Government officials made numerous blundering mistakes that allowed mobsters to control this industry for decades. Fortunately, appropriate regulations were eventually put in place to remove the criminals from the industry. Now, legalized gambling benefits the taxpayers, not the mafia. However, the legal gambling business is still dominated by “racketeers,” i.e. crony capitalists. Typically, the most powerful casinos exploit our political system by opposing new forms of legal gambling to suppress competition. Nearly every state has at least one form of legal gambling, but there are multi-billion dollar black markets that still exist. The most notable examples are sports betting and online poker. You will also discover the remarkable parallels between Wall Street and the gambling industry. The same public officials who pioneered various anti-gambling laws also helped create the circumstances leading to the near-bankruptcies of the “Too Big to Fail” banks. This has much to do with the tainted revolving door between government and the private sector. Dealing From the Bottom of the Deck makes it clear that gambling needs to be further legalized and regulated. More important, it reveals how stigmatized vices, such as gambling, serve as a distraction that enables vast government corruption. Editorial Reviews Eternal Truth: People and institutions - including government - act in their own economic self-interest. (Sorry to shock you.) So that is how government, which is a huge special-interest group, has been acting -from its inception. In that regard, things like mind-altering and sometimes addicting drugs, prostitution and gambling have always been present in every society. But if government makes them illegal, its pawns a big bureaucracy to enforce those laws of prohibition. And that necessarily increases the size, cost and power of government, which government likes. But if the products are regulated and controlled, then two things happen. First the Al Capones and pimps of those worlds will lose so much money that they will probably go out business and, second,those products will be delivered more safely, and will also be taxed.And through all of that, the amount of drugs, prostitution and gambling will most likely stay about the same. So what's not to like? This is what Brian Saady shows so forcefully and completely in his trilogy - which is a strong and healthy addition to the "common wisdom." Read it, and you will agree. Judge James P. Gray (Ret.) Author of "Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed" (Temple University Press, 2d edition, 2012) and 2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President. "...Cogent, clear and convincing, "Dealing" is an essential entry in the gambling canon." Michael Konik, author of "The Smart Money"

Prostitution is an issue in which nearly every person’s opinion is set in stone. Decriminalized Prostitution: The Common Sense Solution defies the odds, and its readers walk away with an entirely new perspective. This is a timely release because sex work is now routinely conflated with human trafficking. A moral panic with similar patterns occurred roughly 100 years ago in the U.S. This book explains that the U.S. government is making the same mistakes from that era. Before then, prostitution was tolerated for most of American history; the details are fascinating. You’ll read about the historical events and social movements that prompted changing those laws. This book leaves no doubt that criminalizing prostitution has been entirely counterproductive. Several foreign and domestic policy models are examined, including prohibition, legalization, the “Swedish model,” de facto toleration, sanctioned decriminalization, and more. Decriminalized Prostitution: The Common Sense Solution provides evidence-based recommendations to improve public health/safety and protect sex workers from exploitation and coercion. Finding dependable information on this polarizing topic can be a difficult task, but the exhaustive research, meticulous documentation, and measured analysis by this author eliminate the controversy. In fact, some of the revelations in this book are absolutely shocking, particularly those involving human trafficking. Decriminalized Prostitution: The Common Sense Solution is the third and final volume of Rackets. The conclusion of this book perfectly ties all three books together in a perfect ending for this incredibly impactful series. These three books make an unquestionable argument in favor of decriminalizing drugs, gambling, and prostitution. More important, this series goes far beyond these issues and serves as an indictment of our entire political system. Editorial Review Eternal Truth: People and institutions - including government - act in their own economic self-interest. (Sorry to shock you.) So that is how government, which is a huge special-interest group, has been acting - from its inception. In that regard, things like mind-altering and sometimes addicting drugs, prostitution and gambling have always been present in every society. But if government makes them illegal, it spawns a big bureaucracy to enforce those laws of prohibition. And that necessarily increases the size, cost and power of government, which government likes. But if the products are regulated and controlled, then two things happen. First the Al Capones and pimps of those worlds will lose so much money that they will probably go out business and, second, those products will be delivered more safely, and will also be taxed. And through all of that, the amount of drugs, prostitution and gambling will most likely stay about the same. So what's not to like? This is what Brian Saady shows so forcefully and completely in his trilogy - which is a strong and healthy addition to the "common wisdom." Read it, and you will agree. Judge James P. Gray (Ret.) Author of "Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed" (Temple University Press, 2d edition, 2012) and 2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President.