Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington

In his latest book, Governor Perry (On My Honor) offers a compelling defense of federalism and the dangers of a vast bureaucratic central government, though he's selective with supporting facts. Perry argues that the enumerated powers of the Constitution given to us by Madison and Jefferson, guaranteed under the Tenth Amendment, must be restored. States should govern closer to the people, with each state functioning as a "laboratory." Perry defends Massachusetts's state-run health care and supports the ability of states to attract "like minded" people and compete with each other. Liberty is under threat by progressives from each party, an overzealous Supreme Court, and fiscally unsustainable government programs. Perry charges Washington with failing to meet its "statutory obligations" when it comes to illegal immigration. With candor, Perry compares Social Security to a Ponzi scheme that "hoodwinked the American public" into thinking that it is "financially sound, when clearly it is not." True to his orthodoxies, he ditches federal programs and regulations. But beyond revealing his own beliefs, Perry highlights an overlooked history of growing federal power and the purpose of the states as a matter of Constitutional law and prudent governance. (Nov.)