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As the government in the United States continues to be twisted and contorted this way and that by whoever finds themselves in power at any given moment, there has been a growing call for a reduction in the scope and authority that Congress can wield. The Constitution, as the founding document on which this country’s laws and identity are created, uses language that is restrictive, saying what few things a federal government is able to do instead of only saying what it can not and leaving the rest up to interpretation. In this treatise, the author proposes that if we are still governed by that same document, then it is time to dial back the reach and capabilities of the federal government and return power to the individual states.
Because of the form and structure of the Constitution, application of these principles can apply to any situation regardless of technological changes or lifestyle adaptations that have occurred in the centuries since its drafting. To illustrate this point, there are several chapters here that apply this proposal to topics ranging from border security and immigration to medicine, energy, and even the space program. Readers will find a strong case for reducing the role of the federal government and allowing the individual states to compete as the free market dictates, passing their own sovereign laws to create an environment that draws in citizens and businesses that reflect the values of its people. It might seem like something too large to turn back the clock on, but the ideas and proposals in this text make it clear how a few key changes can accomplish this goal.
The history books are lined with references and ideas from similarly written social and political proposals in a grand tradition that this book follows. Each chapter is locked into its subject material, focusing the text on the subject and sparing any digressions to clearly convey how a smaller government and stronger rights of states can tackle anything that the opposition says would be impossible. The language used in the text is largely clear and accessible, save for some analogies from the world of aerospace that the author does the courtesy of explaining as they appear. Ideologically, even party-line voting readers in a divided America can find things to agree with in this book, as its premise is not polarized but rather shows how a greater opportunity for experimentation in governance on a smaller level can allow the best ideas to find prominence wherever they are relevant.
The author does a thorough job of applying common sense and rational problem-solving to show practical ways in which a “diverse and dispersed” government can accomplish all the same things currently facing the nation in a much more efficient and personalized manner. In turn, this allows for more representation and self-identification in the American political landscape, which has proven to become more necessary as culture evolves. By the end of the book, any topics not covered by the author can be examined by the reader using the same principles and concepts, lending further credence to the validity, practicality, and even necessity of the proposal laid out in this work.