Why Government Doesn't Work: on Government Reform


Government feeds growth of more government

By preventing people and companies from taking care of themselves, government feeds its own growth.
Source: Why Government Doesn’t Work, by H. Browne, p. 17-18 Jul 2, 1995

Require shorter bills so legislators actually read them

One sign of a government run amok is that many Congressional bills are hundreds of pages long-and they often include dozens of provisions that are irrelevant to the bills’ topics. Congressmen rarely read the bills they vote for, and Presidents almost never read them before signing them. Everyone relies on aides and “experts” to assess the bills-and even the latter can’t read a bill that is rushed through to a vote or altered at the last minute. But the regulators read all these bills thoroughly and enforce every provision.
I will not sign any bill I haven’t read. I will consult with advisors, but I will always make the final decision myself, based on what a bill actually says. If a bill is too long for me to read during the ten days the Constitution give the President to make a decision, I will veto it automatically. If a bill is ambiguous or too complicated to understand, I will veto it-even if I think it might be aimed in the right direction.
Source: Why Government Doesn’t Work, by H. Browne, p.206-7 Jul 2, 1995

Constitution gives people freedom FROM government

The essence of America was an abundance of something rarely found in other countries: freedom from government. America’s Founding Fathers established the first government strictly limited by a written constitution to a short list of activities. The Constitution didn’t limit what citizens could do. Its only purpose was to spell out what was permissible for the federal government to do. And anything not authorized was forbidden to the federal government.

Some state governments had hesitated to ratify the Constitution--fearing that it didn’t make entirely clear how limited the federal government’s role was to be. So the Bill of Rights was added to forestall any misunderstanding. Thus began a momentous experiment to tame the monster of government. And it was very clear to the fathers of the Constitution that government is a monster. As George Washington said: “Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.

Source: Why Government Doesn’t Work, by Harry Browne, p. 36-8 Jul 2, 1995

Great Society: federal takeover of ed., welfare, crime

Until 1960 the federal government had practically nothing to do with education, crime control, or welfare (except Social Security). But by 1975, Great Society programs led to the federal government dominating all three areas.
In each case the pattern was the same: The federal government provided financial subsidies to state and local governments--and, once the governments became dependent on the money from Washington, the Feds imposed conditions for continuing to receive it.
Although the money for a community comes from citizens in that same community, routing it through Washington allows the Feds to set the rules. Thus they began setting standards for school curricula, welfare eligibility, and police procedures and budgets.
By taking control away from communities, the federal government made schools, police, and welfare systems even more remote from the people who pay for them and rely upon them--and made them more susceptible to fraud and graft, and to meddling by social reformers.
Source: Why Government Doesn’t Work, by Harry Browne, p. 44-5 Jul 2, 1995

Abolishing agencies only way to stop them from growing back

    Each reduction in government has to be complete. Reducing an agency to a small fraction of its current size leaves intact the mechanism by which it can grow back again. Like a weed it has to be pulled out by the roots--not cut back. In each case, there are only two realistic choices:
  1. Get rid of the program and get rid of it quickly.
  2. Or resign ourselves to living with it forever.
There is no middle ground.
Source: Why Government Doesn’t Work, by Harry Browne, p. 74-5 Jul 2, 1995

Government Doesn’t Work

    More and more Americans say they want government to be smaller. For example, recent polls have found that:
  1. 73% believe “the federal government is much too large and has too much power.”
  2. 67% believe “big government is the biggest threat to the country in the future.”
  3. 63% think “government regulation of business usually does more harm than good.”
  4. 60% “favor a smaller government with fewer services.”
  5. Only 22% “trust the government in Washington to do what is right most of the time.”
People everywhere recognize the simple truth that government doesn’t work. It is failing at everything it tries to do-even as politicians propose new worlds for it to conquer. The direction that most of us want is toward less government- a lot less government.
Source: Why Government Doesn’t Work, by Harry Browne, p.194 Jul 2, 1995

  • The above quotations are from Why Government Doesn't Work: How Reducing Government Will Bring Us Safer Cities Better Schools, by Harry Browne.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Government Reform.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Harry Browne on Government Reform.
2016 Presidential contenders on Government Reform:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.Jim Gilmore(VA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Gov.George Pataki(NY)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI) 		Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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Page last updated: Feb 26, 2019