Polls show only 20% of citizens trust the U.S. federal government to do what is right most of the time. Polls find the average American believes the nation is two-thirds of the way to “the edge of a civil war.” Can the federal government unite and govern this polarized nation? If not, how does it divide?
Devolution of Power directly addresses these questions. It provides a roadmap to unwinding the massive accumulation of federal power by returning many domestic functions to the states. By distributing power throughout the nation, the federal government can focus on protecting America while empowering citizens in the respective states with the freedom to determine the domestic policies they want to be implemented by more efficient governments closer to them.
Unlike many books on government reform, Devolution of Power is not just a list of complaints that leave the reader seeking solutions. It addresses how to restructure a federal government before it collapses the nation:
- Rekindling the idea that government officials must serve as fiduciaries, not self-interested politicians.
- Providing alternative mechanisms for rolling back federal power.
- Outlining a restructuring plan to devolve federal power to the states.
- Identifying options for trimming the national debt and the federal bureaucracy.
- Describing the character traits needed by elected officials to restore trust in government.
While electing fiduciaries and devolving federal domestic powers to the states may seem to be an impossible task, the author presents a compelling case that it is a far easier task than rebuilding a collapsed nation burdened with massive debt, regulatory sclerosis, continuous wars, and little concern for the average American.
Book Review
Devolution of Power by William L. Kovacs discusses the state of affairs in America. The country is not united, and many things are not working. But how did we get here? Many people working for the federal government are not loyal to the Constitution, and they do not serve the institutions that employ them, hence compromising the separation of powers. It is the people who are the losers when there are no checks and balances. Things have been made worse by the two parties, which has made the people’s representatives more loyal to the party than to performing their duties. The parties have also made it very difficult for other parties to vote in elections. The delegation of power to the states is a step in the right direction. The citizens also have the duty and extraordinary power to effect change through the ballot, which is like a peaceful revolution.
Devolution of Power: Rolling Back the Federal State to Preserve the Republic by William L. Kovacs is a must-read! I was instantly captured by the thought-provoking concepts discussed, such as the insights offered on the climate change issue that is at the top of the agenda among many governments. Is it truly about the climate or about controlling the people? Issues such as unbridled immigration and the reluctance of those in power should act as an eye-opener. I loved how William articulated the issues, providing relevant examples and statistics, which made the book very effective in passing on the intended message. This was an incredible read, and I look forward to reading something else about governance by this author.
Reviewed by Frank Mutuma for Readers’ Favorite, May 17, 2024
About the Author
William L Kovacs
Government reform is like Waiting for Godot; it’s always promised but never arrives. William L. Kovacs writes about it to keep alive the fact that there are policy options for a country that lives in massive debt, regulatory sclerosis, and continuous undeclared wars.
Over four decades in public policy, he has served as senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber, chief counsel on Capitol Hill, chairman of a state environmental board, and partner in D.C. law firms. Kovacs testified before Congress forty times and participated in hundreds of federal rule-makings. Needing to get all that clutter out of his head, at seventy, he retired to start a writing career that includes three books and hundreds of articles on government reform. His books:
Reform the Kakistocracy won the 2021 Independent Press Award for Social/Political Change. It provides citizens with a roadmap to reverse the accumulation of federal power.
The Left’s Little Red Book on Forming a New Green Republic is a parody of Mao’s Little Red Book. It tells the story of how the radical Left uses concern for the environment to attack capitalism, promote socialism, and control individual freedom.
Devolution of Power: Rolling Back the Federal State to Preserve the Republic describes how a federal government with more power than it can manage can be restructured by devolving its domestic powers to the states to create a more accountable government, closer to the people it serves and greater individual freedom.
