A New Vision for 2024?
Republicans have control of the House, sort of, but what is their vision? The Republican threat not to raise the debt ceiling is aimed at overspending. But what is their plan to cut public waste?
Most Americans believe that government needs structural overhaul. Democrats call for more public services but similarly offer no vision of how to improve schools, deal with homelessness, modernize green infrastructure, or deliver better public services.
It’s time to recognize that no overhaul vision will come from either party. Rocking the boat is too uncertain. Better to stick with the status quo. So nothing much will change, and voter frustration and cynicism will grow.
A new governing vision is needed to fill the vacuum. With enough support, some candidates in 2024 might embrace it.
The vision of Common Good and allies is to empower Americans to take responsibility again. Simplify regulations so that officials and citizens alike can make sense of daily choices. Replace thick rulebooks with individual accountability. Give teachers authority to maintain order and give principals authority to manage schools, including to terminate ineffective teachers.
Disrupting the status quo is always difficult, but there’s one impenetrable barrier to overhaul. Public employee unions in federal government and most states have statutory rights that give them a veto on how government is managed. Accountability under union controls is near zero. Replacing bureaucratic micromanagement with accountability is therefore impossible. With 7 million members and billions spent annually on political influence, public unions are like a giant bouncer standing guard at the gates of government to prevent its reform.
But public unions have an Achilles heel: Their power has undermined democratic governance. Voters elect governors and mayors who have been disempowered from fulfilling their constitutional responsibilities. A basic principle of constitutional law is that a legislature or official may not delegate governing powers to a private group.
Next week, Philip Howard will release a new book: Not Accountable, with an introduction by Mitch Daniels, arguing that the controls of public employee unions over the operations of government should be unconstitutional. Removing the stranglehold of public unions is the first essential step to a coherent governing vision built on the firm foundation of human responsibility.
Upcoming Event
The Competitive Enterprise Institute will be hosting an in-person and live-streamed conversation between Philip and CEI President Kent Lassman about Not Accountable on Wednesday, January 25, in Washington, DC. You can register to attend in person here. You can register to join remotely here. The in-person event starts with a reception at 5:30 pm. The live-streamed conversation runs from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Please join us if you can and tell your friends as well.