advantages of, 56
autonomy of, compared with European countries, 63
as constitutional, 59, 62, 64
design of political institutions and, 39
economic prosperity and, 56
federal income tax and, 65
growth of federal government at expense of, 46
health care reform and, 90
Nullification Crisis and, 63
welfare administration and, 93–98
Sudan, 149–50
Sumners, Hatton, 171
supra-nationalism
climate change and, 128
costs, 54
EU policy of, 139–40
global governance and, 57–58
U.S. and, xxi, 13, 57–58, 76, 118, 183
Switzerland
direct election of officials, 116, 117
gun ownership, xx
immigrants in, 117
income per capita, 56
localism in government, 116–17
national identity of Swiss, 116
refusal to join the EU, 117
systems competition, 53
taxes
American Revolution and, 175
Americans for Tax Reform, 161
carbon taxes, 76
Europeanizing of American, xvi, 15, 118
low, American, 16, 33
protection against, 46, 172
Sixteenth Amendment and, 64
Stamp Act of 1766, 175
state setting of, 63
systems competition and, 53
tax haven countries, 56
Tea Party and, 153–58, 161–62
United Kingdom, 31
Tea Party Movement, 153–58, 161–62
terrorism, 111–12
assassination of Theo Van Gogh, 106
EU and Hamas, 125
IRA and, 112–13
London Underground bombing, 37
modern welfare state and, 112–13
UK Muslim terrorists, 106–7, 111
Thatcher, Margaret, 87, 165
Thick of It, The (TV series), 21
Times of London, 13
Tocqueville, Alexis de, 116
Turkey
birthrates and family, 104–5
Kurdish minority, 124
World War I and, 110
United Kingdom
America and, closeness of relationship, 173–87
Anglo-American imperium, 180–82
British character, xv, 5
British Constitution, 171
British election rules, 29–30
British Islam, historically, 109–10
British liberties in America, 171–87
British Tea Party, 176–77
Conservative Party, 34, 38, 158, 164–65, 168
Contract with Britain, 168
Crown prerogative, 185
cultural unity with U.S., 180–81
dislike of politicians, 25–26
election rules, 176
English Civil War, 173, 174–75
financial crisis of 2008 and, 71
governance of, current, 5, 24–25
health system, 85–88
Labour Party, 30, 33, 38
lack of accountability of officials, 30, 36–38
London Underground bombing, 107, 113
Magna Carta, 178
Muslims in, 111–14
Muslim terrorists from, 106–7, 111
open primaries, 34
Parliament’s lack of control of the executive, 30, 31
Police Authorities, 36, 38
political responsibility without power, 25
power of, and loyalty to, 111
quangos and, 24–25, 38, 135, 136
shift in power away from elected representatives, 184–86
South East England, 33
Standing Orders, 185
stimulus package, 31
sympathy with revolutionary American colonists and, 172, 174
taxation, 31
TV political dramas, 20–21
welfare system, 92–93, 111
Westminster expenses crisis, 25–27
United Nations, 130, 143, 144, 149
U.S. Constitution, xviii, xxiii, 41–49
amendments, 64–66
Bill of Rights, 42, 62
British liberties, and, 171–87
broad principles, 41
danger of loss, 16
decentralization of government in, 3
dispersal of power, 46, 59
Eighteenth Amendment, 65
emphasis on the individual, 4, 42, 45, 62
executive branch, checks on, 46
freedoms guaranteed by, 4
as inspirational to other countries, 118
length, 41
major concerns of, 45–46
opening line, 45
powers granted to the federal government, 59
racial issues and, 10–11
ratification of, 42–43
representative government, 3, 47
sense of nationhood and, 48–49, 173
Seventeenth Amendment, 65
Sixteenth Amendment, 64
states’ rights and, 59, 62, 64
taxes and, 46
Tenth Amendment, 62
U.S. Declaration of Independence, 42, 185–86
U.S. government
as accountable to the governed, 34
Anglo-American imperium, 180–82
bailouts, 155, 169
balanced budget rules, 28
centralization of power in, 16, 18, 53, 58, 63, 64–70, 117, 155–58, 168
centralization of welfare, 97
congressional regulation of industry, 64, 68, 118, 128, 168
diversity in the legislature, 33–34
election of senators, 65
Europeanizing of American, 16
executive branch growth, 46, 63, 66–71
expenditure and borrowing, 18, 58, 69, 70, 85, 153, 162
financial crisis of 2008 and, 71
foreign policy, 120–51
genius of republican principles, 183
health care reform and, 90–91
intervention into state and personal affairs, 16, 168
negatives of big government, 60–61, 71, 73
powers vested by the Constitution, 59
prevention of corruption in, 27–28
programs easier to establish than discontinue, 70
security forces, increased powers, 168–69
separation of powers, 30–31, 59
state ownership of key enterprises, 85
U.S. Supreme Court, 67
Uzbekistan, 134
Van Gogh, Theo, 106, 113
Van Rompuy, Herman, 57
Vaubel, Roland, 61
Washington, George, 174
Washington Times, 149
welfare, 91–98
American model, xxi, 92
cradle to grave welfare, effect of, 105
deleterious effect of, 112
Europeanizing of American, xvi, 75
European Union (EU), 98
Florida reform of, 96
localism, advantages of, 96–98
as terrorist breeding ground, 111–13
U.S. Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, 93–96
Wisconsin reform of, 95
West Wing, The (TV series), 20, 39
Wilson, Woodrow, 63, 65, 66
Winthrop, John, 1, 3, 186
Wooldridge, Adrian, 163–64
World War II, 9, 47
economic growth and, 82–83
expansion of government and, 105
plebiscitary democracy and, 47
U.S.-UK alliance, 180
Wright, Jeremiah, 11–12
Yes, Minister (TV series), 20, 39
Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal, 145
A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
I am grateful to the many Americans who hosted me during the six months while I was writing this book: to Ed Feulner and Sally McNamara at the Heritage Foundation; to Fred Smith, Iain Murray, and Myron Ebell at the Competitive Enterprise Institute; to Michael Bowman and the American Legislative Exchange Council; to John Caldara of the Independence Institute; to John Goodman and Tab Boyles of the National Center for Policy Analysis; to Allen Roth and Jonah Goldberg; to Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey; and, most of all, to Lori Roman of Regular Folks United.
Thanks, too, to Adam Bellow for having had the idea in the first place, and to the brilliant David Batt, with whom, in many long conversations, I shaped my opinions into a semblance of order.
Thanks to my wonderful Scottish-American cousins in Philadelphia, John, Nancy, Mary, Ryan, and Lavina. And thanks especially to Annabel and Allegra, who have more patience than any father has the right to expect.
Copyright
THE NEW ROAD TO SERFDOM. Copyright © 2010 by Daniel Hannan.
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