Saving Can-Do.

Americans increasingly feel like rats in a maze. Do this. Don’t say that. Did you comply with the rules? Is your paperwork in order? Can you fill out more and more of it for no discernible reason?

Governing systems were remade after the 1960s to replace human judgement (and authority) with a kind of legal software program. The origin story displays the best of motives--to preclude any more abuses such as racism and pollution. Because humans can make poor judgments, the theory went, it’s better to strain choices through a legal sieve of prescriptive rules, processes, and rights.

But it doesn’t work. Instead of enhancing freedom, law replaced freedom. Americans no longer feel free to do what they think is right or sensible. Doctors and nurses spend half the day filling out forms, teachers have lost control of the classroom, and employers no longer give job references or candid reviews.

Essays & ReportsAndrew ParkSeptember 27, 2025News Items, John Ellis

The Efficiency Commission

Elon Musk’s offer to run a “government efficiency commission” for Donald Trump has triggered enthusiasm in some circles. It raises the question of why Democrats, who say they’re the party of good government, shouldn’t propose their own vision of an efficiency commission.

What would such an efficiency commission do? Trump conceives of it as “a complete financial and performance audit” to “fully eliminate fraud and improper payments within six months….sav[ing] trillions.” Washington is long overdue for a spring cleaning, but improper payments, totaling about $230 billion, are only a start.

Essays & ReportsAndrew ParkSeptember 17, 2024John Ellis

Night Owls Podcast: Common Sense Comes to 'Night Owls'

Joe Klein and John Ellis talk to Philip Howard about broken government, and where to begin to fix it.

AppearancesAndrew ParkJune 17, 2024Joe Klein, John Ellis, Night Owls

A Perpetual Process Machine

American government is suffering a breakdown of authority. It is unable to give permits for transmission lines and housing, deal with homelessness, fix broken schools, or even fire a civil servant who doesn’t show up for work.

Red tape has supplanted official responsibility.

The accretion of detailed codes, procedures and regulations among numerous agencies at federal, state and local levels are like layers of sediment that have silted over a harbor. It’s hard to get anywhere because it’s basically unlawful to make sensible decisions.

Essays & ReportsAndrew ParkMay 9, 2024Philip K. Howard, John Ellis, News Items

Everyday Freedom

Trump carried every county in Iowa except one, and now a solid majority in New Hampshire. What accounts for the Trump juggernaut? He obviously embodies something that many voters want.

My take is that all his serious rivals, now just Haley and Biden, have promised to be better leaders of the established order. But Trump embodies rejection, even disdain, for the establishment. As in 2016, he is lapping his challengers with his contempt for the Washington establishment and, indeed, for democracy itself. Americans are angry, and traditional campaigns based on character, policy proposals, and baby-kissing are not resonating.

Essays & ReportsAndrew ParkJanuary 25, 2024Philip K. Howard, John Ellis, Everyday Freedom, Book, News Items