death of common sense
Common Sense lived a long life but died in the United States from a vicious contagious disease. [1]
As an American who too often cringes when our country’s regulatory red tape strangles expediency and constructive decision making, I’d say “The Death of Common Sense” offers some poignant anecdotes in describing today’s bureaucratic morass. [2]
Now added to that apocryphal collection is this lament on the death of common sense, a much-reproduced piece which circulates in many variations, typically with no attribution (or, as in this case, an incorrect one). [3]
Citing dozens of examples of bureaucratic overkill–everything from the labeling of window cleaner as a toxic substance to the U.S. Department of Defense spending $2 billion on travel and $2.2 billion processing the paperwork for that travel–The Death of Common Sense shows how far we have wandered, how we got into this mess, and how we can–and must–get out. [4]
Common Sense lived a long life but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. [3]
Abandoning our common sense and individual sense of responsibility, we live in terror of the law, in awe of procedure, at was with one another. [5]
America is drowning: in law, legality, bureaucratic process. [4]
Philip K. Howard has written the explosive manifesto for liberation–one of the most talked about sociopolitical treatises of our time. [5]
He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes and factories, helping folks get the jobs done without fanfare and foolishness. [1]
He went on to say that education is the best way to guard ourselves against the imposition of just the things that Howard discusses in his book. [4]
His book is truly a catalog of horror stories, actually quite engrossing and adding to the story of public inefficiencies chronicled by David Osborne’s Reinventing Government (Addison-Wesley, 1992). [2]
Lawyer Howard’s indictment of governmental bureaucracy and excessive regulations was a PW bestseller for 25 weeks. [4]
The New York Times’ bestseller from CG founder and chair Philip K. Howard. [5]
More highly recommended as a study of the negative impact of law is Walter K. Olson’s The Litigation Explosion (LJ 2/15/91) even though its focus is on lawsuits and the courts. [6]
Distressing, disturbing, devastatingly detailed–this stunning examination of how modern laws are diminishing America exposes the drawbacks of rule-bound government, tells why nothing gets done, reveals the phony pretensions of law, and shows why well-intentioned laws have actually devalued rights. [4]
Sources:
[1] Common Sense The Obituary of an Old Friend
[2] Amazon.com: The Death of Common Sense: How Law is Suffocating America …
[3] snopes.com: The Death of Common Sense
[4] The Death of Common Sense: How Law Is Suffocating America - Books
[5] Common Good: The Death of Common Sense: How Law Is Suffocating America
[6] Amazon.com: The Death of Common Sense: Philip K. Howard: Books