Chuck Norris doesn’t sit back and wait for America to fix itself. Chuck Norris tells America what to do, and America listens.

Perhaps this should be the newest fact added to the famed tongue-in-cheek list of information about the actor that includes such silly facts as “Chuck Norris has counted to infinity — twice.” Aside from being a martial arts expert and an actor — and apparently a math whiz — the former “Walker, Texas Ranger” star also counts himself as a history buff and political activist with a deep love of the United States.

“I’m a very concerned citizen — an American, father and grandfather who is extremely worried about the direction our country is headed,” Norris said in an interview last week. “I thought, ‘What can I do?’ I can write about my concern and maybe that will help people understand what’s going on.”

And write a book he did. Norris’ latest literary offering, “Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America,” examines the state of the country and points out several key changes that he feels need to be made.

For instance, Norris hates the Internal Revenue Service and thinks it needs to be abolished. Throughout the book and also during an interview, the actor repeatedly talked about his disdain for complicated tax laws. Norris said Republican Mike Huckabee’s plan to abolish the IRS was one of the main reasons he supported the Arkansas governor’s bid for the presidency.

“We’re completely overtaxed in this country,” he said. “We’re being taxed to death, and we’ve got to figure out a way to overcome that.”

That’s not the only thing that gets him riled. Norris said he’s sickened by Americans’ worship of the dollar. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against being wealthy (obviously),” he writes. “But I am against making money into a god. Money is not more important than family, or children or God.”

It’s that love of money, he reasons, that has brought this country into such debt and has allowed countries like China to buy such a large chunk of it.

“The thing that bothers me to is that China has bought $1.5 trillion of our debt,” Norris said. “What did we give them for collateral?”

The actor-turned-author worries that the communist nation will call in that debt by drilling off the coast of Florida and eventually into the state itself. Norris also wags a finger at Americans who have personal debt. They’re slaves, he said. His idea is that credit card companies could cancel all debts every seven years.

“Our Founding Fathers had a vision for American, and it was not corrupted by greed, power or materialism,” Norris said.

It is a love of the Founding Fathers that inspired the martial arts expert to begin researching “Black Belt Patriotism.” After “Walker, Texas Ranger” finished its eight-and-a-half-year run, Norris said, he had a lot of time on his hands and began reading a lot of history books.

This interest in government came in handy during the recent primary season. Norris made a series of appearances in support of Huckabee and is quick to commend his friend for finishing second in the Republican race on such a small budget.

Now that Huckabee is out, who will Norris vote for? When asked whether he is a fan of Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), Norris is quick to vocalize his support, not for the maverick, but for the woman running as his vice president.

“I tell you,” he said. “I really like Sarah Palin. I like her strength. I like her convictions. She’s a very strong woman, and I think she would do a great job.”

Norris said he hopes to see the next president actively reduce the size of government, calling it “very bloated” in its current state.

“Gena [his wife] and I were in D.C. a while back,” he said. “And we went into the House chamber and there were 435 Congressmen screaming at each other across the aisle over one bill. No wonder they can’t get anything done. You can’t even hear yourself think!”

As for the future of the country beyond these elections, Norris said it’s in the hands of the next generation.

“We need to reengage with our young people,” Norris writes. “And plug them into America’s glorious past so they can build a brighter future.”