Customer Reviews

Dependent on D.C.: The Rise of Federal Control over the Lives of Ordinary Americans

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It has been said that if you were to put a frog into a pot of boiling water the frog would do it's best to escape, but that if you put the frog into tepid water and gradually heat the water to the boiling point the frog would just sit there until it dies. Never having boiled frogs I don't know whether or not that's true. But, it's a central premise of Charlotte Twight's book that if we were frogs, the government has us in the pot and has gradually brought the water to a point close to boiling.

Ms. Twight details how that happened with several examples including Social Security, federal income tax witholding, health care and education. The most frightening is her description of the rise of federal data collection. The bottom line is Big Brother is watching, he knows where you are and he can come get you anytime he wants because it's basically impossible for you to know all the laws much less abide by them.

Ms. Twight details how politicians and bureaucrats lie, cheat and steal to accomplish the ultimate goal of getting and holding power. She is more polite though and calls it political transaction cost manipulation.

I have only two complaints about the book. The first is that Ms. Twight fails to take into account the full force of government's fellow travelors in the media and special interest groups (ranging from labor unions to recipients of corporate welfare) and their impact on the growth of government. The second is that she doesn't do enough to put the evolution of America's government into a complete historical and philosophical context.

Nevertheless, this is a book well worth reading. If you were to read it in conjunction with "The Myth of the Robber Barons," "Bias" and "America's Thirty Years War" you would have a more complete picture of what is really going on.

But, whatever you do, read this book. It's worth the effort.

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!

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.

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 two, or even three percent." Another member responded, "You're crazy! The people would revolt!"

Where is the revolution? Now nearly half of the average American's income goes to taxation. Fow what? Did we not have enough government regulation before? Everything but the air we breathe is taxed, and even that is regulated. And these extra constitutional functions of government occurred insidiously, gradually, without even a protest.

When our civilization is destroyed, it will not be with a bang, but rather a whimper, if anyone even notices.

What is the prognosis? Is there a chance that we will ever get back to the constitutional precepts of freedom to live our own lives without intrusion by government into every aspect, without excessive regulation, and the ever increasing cost of individual resistance to government intrusion?

The prospect of halting the progression of socialism looks bleak. As the author says in page 15, "My concern in this book is not only the growth of dependence but also the growth of an ideology of dependence--the normative judgment that broad governmental power creating pervasive dependence on government is desirable."

In other words, we are willing tools of our own enslavement by our own government, in the name of comfort. We are selling our birthright--for a mess of pottage.

Maybe Jefferson was right. Maybe the tree of liberty needs to be watered once in awhile with the blood of revolution. I am not recommending it--only making an observation, which is still legal, I think.

You need to read this book. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

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!

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.

Excellent Book!

In depth detail of how the US federal government grew to its current size, while the original US constitution restricts federal government to a few key functions. It shows how government administrators have managed make so many dependant on D.C. in the face of initially huge public opposition to various forms of government intervention and intrusions in our lives. Great detail on the growth of social security, the federal income tax, and other issues. The emphasis here an in-depth analysis of how politicians have successfully manipulated the information presented to citizens (increase transaction costs), and how they continue re-frame the debate on various issues to achieve their goals.

This book is not as mainstream as Harry Browne's `The Great Libertarian Offer'. Frankly, it is a somewhat tough read with its vocabulary. However, the information itself is dynamite. I personally find it to be a page turner. The book is written to a fairly sophisticated audience, and may not be a casual read. Yet, I would say this is a must read for anyone who pays a significant amount of US income tax.

I congratulate Charlotte Twight on an excellent research on US government with `Dependant on D.C.'

Sorry, I just couldn't resist that Borg slogan from Star Trek!

Charlotte Twight looks at how the power of the federal government has grown during the last 70 years using the theory of political transaction cost manipulation and focuses on areas such as Social Security, income taxation, education and health care where the principle has operated. In a nutshell, statists gain a toe hold by deliberately misleading and downplaying threats that a proposal or law has to our freedoms, and then once that toe hold has been acquired, it paves the way for further erosions of our liberties. It is a convincing theory that merits attention.

While Twight's book is somehat academic, the only part I had trouble with was the chapted titled "The Universal Tactic", where she goes into greater detail about the political transaction cost theory. The reader can skip this chapter and still be able to understand the premise of the book.

Twight concludes her book with prospects for the recovery or further loss of freedom in the 21st century, and she offers some suggestions for preserving one's autonomy (e.g. homeschooling your children, saving enough for retirement so you can refuse Social Security benefits etc.). However, I am surprised that Twight omits one possible tactic, because she repeatedly emphasizes its use by those who have tried to reduce individual liberties, and that is to lie and deceive. For example, why don't Libertarians try to infiltrate the Republican and Democratic parties and run as typical mainstream candidates and then when they get elected, do the opposite of what they ran on, get legislation passed that contains language buried within the bills that expands freedom. In other words, adopt the tactics of the enemy to defeat the enemy.

Take a look at your last pay stub. If it didn't already exist and it came up for a vote today, would you vote yes for an income tax? Would you vote yes for Social Security and Medicare knowing that what's just been taken out of your check will be transfered directly to some anonymous recipient and that in all likelihood there won't be enough workers to support similar transfers to you when you retire? Are you still under the misconception that because local propety taxes fund a portion of K-12 education, that you might have some local control? How did our government grow to it's current level given the fact that any fourth grader can read the Constitution (or should I say, used to be able to read the Constitution) and see that none of it's authorized? Read this book and find out. It's all here. What Charlotte defines as "political transaction costs", and you and I might call lies, obfuscation, deciet and incrementalism is the cause. Over the last century America has evolved from a Republic into a pure Democracy, so all you have to do is convince a majority of the voters (which isn't really that many people) to get your way. And the way to do that is tell the people what they want to hear, even when that's the exact opposite of what you intend to do. Nobody voted for the income tax we have today. Over a hundred years ago they voted for a tiny tax on a very few of the richest individual's (ie. a tax on someone else). This book is a great history lesson. It sheds light on how the statists continue to win and government continues to expand and intrude further into our everyday lives. Kind of depressing, but true never the less.

For a book with a subject as serious as this one, "Dependent on D.C." is unfortunately quite poorly executed.

First, the book is not about dependency on the government per se, although the author argues that such is the end result. The book is really about how politicians deceive the American people by concealing, withholding and misrepresenting information - in short, by lying, and how decades of growth of government power has resulted in such entrenched bureaucracy, power base, incentive structure and dumbing-down of the public, that the trend is practically irreversible, short of a revolt - according to the author.

Reading this book tries one's patience. The author apparently has not thought through who her audience was, whether it was her academia cohort or the broader reading public. She uses economics jargons where simple words would quite suffice; she uses the term "transaction cost" in almost every sentence in the first chapters and it makes you think that a robot is talking to you. Then again, she makes the same points over and over again, paragraph after paragraph.

To her credit, the author has chosen a worthwhile subject and has done meticulous research. And she does offer some valuable insights. This book is for you if you are seriously interested in the history of the administrative state and an analysis of the underpinning political dynamics, and do not mind the rather tiresome style of presentation.