Publisher's Synopsis
To even the most casual observer from outside the Washington Beltway, it is painfully obvious that the U.S. Congress has lost its way and is unable to discharge even its most basic obligations to the American people. James Madison, one of the key architects of the U.S. Constitution observed that, in establishing a government, "you must first enable the government to control the governed, and in the next place oblige it to control itself." Congress is doing admirably well with regard to one of these tasks and is a train wreck with regard to the other. Although folks inside the Beltway seem oblivious, viewers outside the Beltway see a replay of the Hans Christian Andersen tale of the Emperor's New Clothes. Congress acts as if it is averting a "fiscal cliff" when everyone else realizes that no catastrophe was avoided; it was only kicked down the road a few months. Why is Congress so incapable of functioning as the framers of the Constitution envisioned? This book provides unique insight to this question by drawing from two distinct vantage points. One is a view from the perspective of the nature of organizations. Whether the organization is a furniture factory, a large law firm, or the U.S. Congress, some problems are fairly predictable by the principles of how organizations operate. The second view is that of history. The framers of the U.S. Constitution composed an amazing blueprint for government of the United States. Understanding the intentions of those founding fathers helps bring a current-day dysfunctional Congress into focus. Some observations from George Washington, John Adams, and James Madison are so relevant and timely that they sound like the remarks of someone who appeared today and watched Congress in "action." Fortunately, the framers of the Constitution left us with the means to solve the quagmire that has engulfed Congress. The book concludes with a set of solutions based in those means.
