"It’s so damn hard to fix things when people can’t—or won’t—make new choices. This powerful book shows how Washington is sinking in legal quicksand, literally beyond the power of those supposedly ‘in charge.’ Perhaps the only solution, as Howard argues, is to prune out these obsolete laws and chop away on the bureaucracy so that citizens of common sense can roll up their sleeves and get to work again as America has always done. Today, leadership is practically illegal."
"Amid the liberal-conservative ideological clash that paralyzes our government, it’s always refreshing to encounter the views of Philip K. Howard, whose ideology is common sense spiked with a sense of urgency… [This] book drives home some large truths."
The Wall Street Journal - Stuart Taylor Jr.
"Rather than asking what’s right to do, Howard contends, government asks what the rulebook says to do. As a result, waste occurs, debt rises, schools fail, health-care costs soar, the economy falters—and even problems that seem simple and easy to solve become bureaucratic nightmares."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Alan Wallace
"This book is so deep, appealing, and rousing that it has the potential to actually move politics out of its current stasis."
A convincing, provocative argument... Howard's clear, levelheaded descriptions of how things are done elsewhere...proves his point: We really need to figure out a better way to operate, lest the country grind to a halt.--Jesse Singal "Boston Globe" Amid the liberal-conservative ideological clash that paralyzes our government, it's always refreshing to encounter the views of Philip K. Howard, whose ideology is common sense spiked with a sense of urgency... [This] book drives home some large truths.--Stuart Taylor Jr. "The Wall Street Journal" Compelling.--Nick Gillespie "The Wall Street Journal" Howard's proposed fix is witty, and intriguing: a follow-up to the Bill of Rights called the Bill of Responsibilities. These would be five new Constitutional amendments aimed at making government work better.--Kyle Smith "New York Post" Philip Howard has been on a lonely crusade for common sense, good government, and other quixotic ideas. He's done it again with The Rule of Nobody , an utterly compelling and persuasive book that, if followed, could change the way America works--or doesn't work.--Fareed Zakaria, author of The Post-American World Philip K. Howard's important new book... helps to explain why government at all levels not only is on autopilot but on a flight path that can only end in disaster... The Rule of Nobody 'envisions a shift in values--away from automatic government and toward a structure that allows humans to make choices needed to adapt to local need and global challenges.' Well, here's hoping.--Nick Gillespie "The Daily Beast" Rather than asking what's right to do, Howard contends, government asks what the rulebook says to do. As a result, waste occurs, debt rises, schools fail, health-care costs soar, the economy falters--and even problems that seem simple and easy to solve become bureaucratic nightmares.--Alan Wallace "Pittsburgh Tribune-Review" It's so damn hard to fix things when people can't--or won't--make new choices. This powerful book shows how Washington is sinking in legal quicksand, literally beyond the power of those supposedly 'in charge.' Perhaps the only solution, as Howard argues, is to prune out these obsolete laws and chop away on the bureaucracy so that citizens of common sense can roll up their sleeves and get to work again as America has always done. Today, leadership is practically illegal.--Alan K. Simpson, U.S. senator, Wyo. (retired) You'll laugh and wince and cry at the ridiculous situation America has gotten itself into. Howard shows us how we manufactured the rope we are now hanging ourselves with. Then he shows us how to untie the noose and put America back on the path to trust, competence, and greatness.--Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind Philip Howard offers a startlingly fresh slant on what is holding America back. No one is free to make choices, including, especially, government officials. Regulatory law has become a nearly impenetrable web of detailed prohibitions and specifications. Everyone is hamstrung. Dense regulation discourages individuals, communities, and companies from taking new initiatives. It also prevents government officials from making the case-by-case judgment needed for effective regulatory oversight. This is an important reason why it is so expensive to start a business, why healthcare costs have gone through the roof, and why innovation has slowed to a crawl.--Professor Edmund S. Phelps, 2006 Nobel Prize in Economics and director, Center on Capitalism and Society Philip K Howard has always struck me as an eminently reasonable, articulate advocate for common sense solutions. No wonder no one listens to him.--Jon Stewart, The Daily Show This book is so deep, appealing, and rousing that it has the potential to actually move politics out of its current stasis.--Christopher DeMuth, Distinguished Fellow, The Hudson Institute
01/27/2014 Howard (The Death of Common Sense), chairman of Common Good, attempts to offer a set of rational, nonpartisan solutions to Americans frustrated with government ineffectiveness at all levels. His well-meaning, if questionable, approach—which seeks to restructure bureaucracies in simpler forms—is bound to face opposition, as the forces arrayed against his reforms would be both massive and well-funded. Few will take issue with the book’s essential premise that, on the whole, government doesn’t get things done with great efficiency, but as Howard proffers horror story after horror story of bureaucrats following the letter, not the spirit, of the law, and laments the gradual accretion of rules and regulations that paralyze rather than empower, one is left confused as to who would actually benefit from his reforms. While the fiction that removing human judgment from decision-making enables both uniformity and increased performance is convincingly exposed, his anecdotal evidence, however real and shocking, seems cherry-picked to suit his arguments. Moreover, it’s unclear how some of Howard’s ideas—e.g., a citizens’ council tasked with focusing on the long-term implications of present policies—would actually clear up the bureaucratic muddles they’re meant to solve. Though many governmental institutions could be better run, the reforms Howards submits here are less than convincing. (Apr.)
"Howard’s red tape case histories—Medicare and nursing home regulations, for example—boggle the mind… [He] is a caring critic, and his call for citizen groups to ally in the fight for responsible government should be heeded."
Washington Lawyer Magazine - Ronald Goldfarb
"Philip Howard has been on a lonely crusade for common sense, good government, and other quixotic ideas. He’s done it again with The Rule of Nobody , an utterly compelling and persuasive book that, if followed, could change the way America works—or doesn’t work."
"A convincing, provocative argument… Howard’s clear, levelheaded descriptions of how things are done elsewhere…proves his point: We really need to figure out a better way to operate, lest the country grind to a halt."
Boston Globe - Jesse Singal
"Philip Howard offers a startlingly fresh slant on what is holding America back. No one is free to make choices, including, especially, government officials. Regulatory law has become a nearly impenetrable web of detailed prohibitions and specifications. Everyone is hamstrung. Dense regulation discourages individuals, communities, and companies from taking new initiatives. It also prevents government officials from making the case-by-case judgment needed for effective regulatory oversight. This is an important reason why it is so expensive to start a business, why healthcare costs have gone through the roof, and why innovation has slowed to a crawl."
Professor Edmund S. Phelps
"Howard has written a splendid book, as entertaining as it is alarming… I cannot imagine how anyone could read it without responding enthusiastically to his call to arms."
The American Spectator - F.H. Buckley
"Howard’s proposed fix is witty, and intriguing: a follow-up to the Bill of Rights called the Bill of Responsibilities. These would be five new Constitutional amendments aimed at making government work better."
New York Post - Kyle Smith
"You’ll laugh and wince and cry at the ridiculous situation America has gotten itself into. Howard shows us how we manufactured the rope we are now hanging ourselves with. Then he shows us how to untie the noose and put America back on the path to trust, competence, and greatness."
"Philip K Howard has always struck me as an eminently reasonable, articulate advocate for common sense solutions. No wonder no one listens to him."
2014-03-09 A blast against dysfunctional government, which Howard (Life Without Lawyers: Restoring Accountability in America , 2010, etc.) calls "a form of tyranny." In the author's view, when push comes to shove and problems need to be solved through action, and not another feasibility study, nobody has the authority to act. He evinces particular fury in considering long-standing legal obligations that bind the hands of government at all levels. Howard examines many of the usual suspects: "In 2010," he writes, "70 percent of federal tax revenue was consumed by three entitlement programs (Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security) that don't even come up for annual congressional authorization." Another group consuming funds is public sector employees—police, firefighters and teachers, among others—whose contracts and work rules hamstring state and local governments. Howard ridicules bureaucratic idiocies typified by the shenanigans regarding New Jersey's Bayonne Bridge, which needs upgrading or replacement to prepare for supersized Panamax ships. After more than a decade and nearly 50 approvals obtained from 20 different government entities, the project is still in limbo. Where other countries—e.g., the Netherlands—have "one stop shopping" for approvals, the United States now ranks 16th worldwide in ease of access for construction permits. Howard adds environmental and other kinds of laws to his list of contributors to dysfunctional government, and he dismisses most politicians as complicit. The author claims that the rule of law has become a kind of "automatic government" undermining predictability while "leaving citizens open to arbitrary state power." As for solutions, Howard calls for a Napoleonic type of codification of law at all levels, a system of special commissions to smooth out infrastructure approvals, the addressing of overlapping government functions and mandatory elimination of certain old laws. Some may find the diagnosis persuasive, but the cures proposed may worsen long-standing inequities.