Customer Reviews

The Vermont papers: Recreating democracy on a human scale

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Having just seen the review posted by Independent Publisher (1998) - right on the money! Ten years after publication, The Vermont Papers is still the only blueprint for dismantling overgrown liberty-destroying political superstructures and restoring true LOCAl democracy with widespread civic involvement. And we also thought it was pretty entertaining, too. (from co-author John McClaughry, now 32 years a Town Moderator)

We keep rotating people through the same sets of offices, hoping that each new person will somehow use the same set of tools as their predecessor, but behave differently. But as they say, to the man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Perhaps it is time to try something new?

The authors stand athwart history with mud on their boots and farm bureau hats on their heads, yelling Enough is Enough! Centralization of power and authority has destroyed our communities- what is needed is a radical decentralization. Subsidiarity is the rule of thumb in this fantastic book, as the governmental structure of Vermont is re-imagined at a Human Scale (hat tip to the great Kirkpatrick Sale).

Worth reading? Absolutely, no matter where you live. This is a truly radical text that can be embraced by both the Left and Right. What happens to a community with nothing to do? It stops being a community. If you are interested in restoring communities and rebuilding human institutions at a human scale, this book is a must read.

Government at a distance does not work. It is easy to ignore the personal responsibility of governance when it is not local. First we allowed the State to take over the rule making and curriculums of our schools and now the Federal authorities are making global rulings on school operations. Those who wish to control find it easier to make rules once at the Federal level and force all to submit to their vision. Return the control to the local levels.