Dependent on D.C.

Just the first chapter is worth the cost of the book, and then some. If only it reaches "best seller" status! But, even then, I think that the population is so mired in ennui and self-interest, and feels so helpless to change things that it would make little difference.Charlotte Twight holds a doctorate in economics and a J.D. from the University of Washington and is a professor of economics at Boise State University. This is her subject, and she is extremely knowledgeable.Her message? The United States, in one lifetime has deteriorated from a land of liberty into a socialist, controlled society where the individual citizen's every action is controlled by government; where the federal government has grown in power exponentially until it rules every aspect of our lives with bureaucratic rules and regulations, where the Supreme Court, Congress and the Executive Branch (both political parties) have usurped powers that the founders of the country would be horrified to witness.The Supreme Court has become the final arbiter of our Constitution, changing its meaning without going through the amendment process, and thus denying the population their rightful place in the process. We no longer hold the power the Constitution guaranteed us when, through it, we created the federal government and spelled out its limitations and granted it certain carefully delineated powers, and made our representatives swear to uphold the Constitution, which they still must although most have probably not even read it.The usurpation of power by the three branches of government was not the result of a grand conspiracy, but rather the natural result of individuals seeking more power over others: empire builders seeking to gain more influence, and to selfishly better themselves at the expense of others.I have watched this process take place over my own lifetime (75 years), and can vouch for the accuracy of Mrs. Twight's message. When I was a teenager, during the Depression, I never witnessed anyone worrying about paying federal income tax at the beginning of each new year. I never knew anyone who made enough money to worry about it. No one worried about the federal government. Of all levels of government, the federal was the least intrusive. The local level was most important, as it should have been--that's the level where the people have the most control. There was no payroll deduction, yet. That started with Franklin Roosevelt. We paid cash for doctor visits and hospital care. There was no need for Medicare. That was started by Lyndon Johnson. Now, Social Security and Medicare, those two socialist programs alone, are bankrupting us. We spend far more on them annually than on national defense, for instance.When the individual income tax came on the scene, with the 16th Amendment to the Constitution, it came in at one percent, and members of Congress groused about that. One member was quoted as saying, "Now it's one percent, but what's to keep it from going to

Dependent on DC undoubtedly will pull you in merely by the title.Charlotte Twight chronicles the gradual evolution of growing government and eventual control.Critics may claim she relies on fear tactics that border on conspiracy-mongering paranoia. Instead, what she really does is trace the roots of growing government control to FDR's New Deal Legislation which pushed the government-control model down the hill. It has picked up speed ever since.During my lifespan, a mentality has existed that if something should be done about a social or societal problem, government will be the perfect solution. Twight shows otherwise. Instead, she points out how growing government control has hurt a nation that once prided itself on self-reliance and strength. Now, our states, cities, and people hold their hand out to the Federal Government like a spoiled kid does to their parents. Like a spoiled child, we have become part of the problem.Twight shows how best intentions have gone awry in a government wanting to help and cure all societal ills ... and the battle for it.Did you know the idea of Federal Withholding did not start until 1943? And that it was supposed to be temporary? Can you imagine how this nation would work if every American had to find the self-discipline to withhold 15 per cent of their income on their own? How would the government spend your money if we did?Or what about social security. How much more could a company pay you, or how many more workers could they hire if they did not have to pay into a bankrupt system?Read how the American people have abdicated responsiblity, reliance, and resilience ... thinking almighty government will solve their problems. Unfortunately, government has become the problem.

I've never read a clearer or more detailed history of the political manipulation and deception which has led to such things as Social Security, income tax withholding, federal control of public education and health care, and the systematic surveillance of ordinary Americans by the federal government. If you want to learn exactly how we have devolved into the sorry state we are currently in, read this book!

I agree with many of the comments regarding the "tough read" -- however, this was more true of the 2nd chapter that outlines the agenda and all of the ways transaction-costs are raised. You could almost skim or skip it and head to the rest of the chapters that bring her theory more alive through the examples of Social Security, Income Taxes, etc. These chapters read like a detective novel and provide tremendous education.Part of the "transaction costs" inherent to understanding why government controls so much of our lives now is due to the somewhat dry nature of the material -- but perhaps slugging through a few dry parts of this book and trying to connect to them is part of the price that Jefferson referred to as the "eternal vigilance" required for freedom.My experience to date is that most people simply don't want to be free. Although the wouldn't say it explicitly, their behavior shows that they'd rather be treated like children and taken care of by the state. If liberty matters to you; if you would prefer to be treated like an adult... read this book.

Wow! Charlotte Twight's book, "Dependent on DC" is clearly one of the best "scientific" political polemics I have ever read. Twight employs the economic analysis of the "law and economics" movement to explain why and how government has been successful in creating and maintaining the New Leviathan that contolls virtually every single aspect of our daily lives.Twight explains that policy wonks, bureaucrats and legislators have been successful in altering the incidence of transaction costs related to government activity from government itself to the naysayers and adversaries of increased government at all levels, thereby making it difficult (if not impossible) for constitutionally-limited government to survive.This book is both a serious academic work which should appeal to scholars and academics, as well as a political polemic designed for generally-sophisticated readers interested in the dynamics of public policy formation.Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down . . . a real page turner!