Polls show only 20% of citizens trust the U.S. federal government to do what is right most of the time. Polls find the average American believes the nation is two-thirds of the way to "the edge of a civil war." Can the federal government unite and govern this polarized nation? If not, how does it divide?
Devolution of Power directly addresses these questions. It provides a roadmap to unwinding the massive accumulation of federal power by returning many domestic functions to the states. By distributing power throughout the nation, the federal government can focus on protecting America while empowering citizens in the respective states with the freedom to determine the domestic policies they want to be implemented by more efficient governments closer to them.
Unlike many books on government reform, Devolution of Power is not just a list of complaints that leave the reader seeking solutions. It addresses how to restructure a federal government before it collapses the nation:
- Rekindling the idea that government officials must serve as fiduciaries, not self-interested politicians.
- Providing alternative mechanisms for rolling back federal power.
- Outlining a restructuring plan to devolve federal power to the states.
- Identifying options for trimming the national debt and the federal bureaucracy.
- Describing the character traits needed by elected officials to restore trust in government.
While electing fiduciaries and devolving federal domestic powers to the states may seem to be an impossible task, the author presents a compelling case that it is a far easier task than rebuilding a collapsed nation burdened with massive debt, regulatory sclerosis, continuous wars, and little concern for the average American.