The Road to Serfdom, by F. A. Hayek

The rise of socialist thought in the United States is simply incredible, given the nation's history of battling socialist regimes in a number of wars.  F.A. Hayek's The Road to Serfdom should be required reading for any socialist-leaning political leader or candidate.  Hayek wrote thus during World War 2, publishing in 1944.  At the time he was teaching at the University of London, and first published the book in England, but it was met with a much more enthusiastic reception in the U.S.

During this era, National Socialism was, of course, marching through Europe, and socialist thought was steadily rising in prominence in England.  Hayek was alarmed by these trends and hoped to stem the tide by pointing out the inevitable direction of socialism.  While his views were not particularly popular at the time, he has proven to be prophetic. 

Hayek became a leading figure in the Chicago School of Economics, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics in 1974.  Hayek rejects central planning by government entities, pointing out how that leads to misinformation and a loss of freedom.  Organization, planning, centralization of economic power, all lead to a loss of freedom and a loss of prosperity.  History has shown Hayek to be correct.  If only we could get modern politicians to listen and learn.