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When officials at the Department of Agriculture were concerned about the welfare of the dozens of six-toed cats that roam the grounds and interior of the Hemingway House Museum in Key West, Florida, they sent an animal behavior expert to do an exhaustive study, dispatched "agents to spy on the cat's treatment," then sent a PETA representative who reported the cats were doing fine, but that wasn't enough. A federal judge along with federal marshals made a field trip to the grounds. Rebound uses this as an example of overreach and wasteful spending by America's "bureaucratic administrative state," which has replaced the limited constitutional government the Founders had in mind. Rebound reminds us that, The book is remarkable in that the author does not rely on a return to the past but embraces counterculture individuals and events that contribute to innovation and change, some of which he calls "positively exciting." But he admonishes that we must admit there are certain things "dreadfully wrong with the culture" that must change and reminds us that we must not abandon our core principles. What is missing in America today is focus on the sovereignty of the individual and the "foundational principles of liberty, law, and equality." Focusing on the rewards of individual responsibility, hard work, self-sacrifice, and industriousness, author Kim R. Holmes maintains that the entitlement programs that are breaking the nation's budget are not good for those who are the recipients of them or those whose money is confiscated to pay for them. The book outlines specific suggestions for Congress, the courts, and the executive branch, as well as adjustments in current foreign policy and the role of the military. Although "everything seems to be going the liberals' way," Holmes writes that this trend is not economically or politically sustainable. We must not just slow growth but roll back federal power; Congress must stop delegating so much authority to the President; and accountability must be demanded from bureaucrats who would spy on cats. (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013, 252 pp., $27) |
"Authority not explicitly given by the Constitution to the federal government belongs to states and the people." The author examines the who, what, when, and where of events, policies, and changes in attitude that led us to today. He explains the drift away from solid principles, values, and practices that have changed the nation's "culture, social habits, economic ideas, and its system of law and politics" and offers suggestions for an American rebound.
