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Showing reviews 1-5 of 58
 Quick Read, Solid info August 28, 2009
David W. Owens (Columbus Ohio)
If you want to know read it, and then remember that it was written over a decade ago. Look around and open your eyes. . things sure as hell aren't getting any better. If you are interested in waking up, this isn't a bad place to start.
Still No Resurrection for Common Sense August 6, 2009
Larry Underwood (Scottsdale, AZ)
Philip K. Howard's well documented commentary on everything that's so wrong in America; thanks in large part to everything that's so wrong with the legal system; is even more compelling 13 years after its initial publication. With the current state of affairs in ObamaNation, a resurrection of common sense doesn't seem to be forthcoming any time soon; and that's definitely cause for concern.
Clearly, we have the legal system to blame for much of the ill-advised behavior we see throughout the great abyss known as corporate America. To the typical corporate CEO, "lawsuit avoidance" drives much of the decision making process throughout their dysfunctional & paranoid organizations. This type of mentality creates a fear-based culture of management; with everyone trying to stay out of trouble, micro-management & backstabbing proliferate. In this type of environment, employee morale is typically low, as is productivity.
Certainly, the legal system's failure to embrace "common sense" as a foundation in their recent judgments has created much of the mess; from wrongful termination & discrimination claims to miscellaneous negligence claims; there seems to be no end to the madness.
Sooner or later, the pendulum has to swing back in the direction of common sense; let's hope it happens sooner, rather than later.
Extraordinary April 9, 2009
Eugenio Cazorla (Dallas, TX)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This slim volume confirms the old axion that "good, if brief, twice as good".
The graphic examples of how irrational government can be when applying nonsensical regulations lead us to the conclusion that we better avoid if at all possible to deal with governmental authorities.
 Falling Short of the Mark November 27, 2008
Sylvia Bokor (Albuquerque, NM United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Government," Mr. Howard writes, "accomplishes virtually nothing of what it sets out to do. It can barely fire an employee. . ."
Mr. Howard's book focuses primarily on the irrational rules of government agencies---for example, OSHA, EPA, USDA, DEA and so forth---which are awash in thousands of rules that hamper and destroy businesses. OSHA alone has 10,000 pages of regulation. Other agencies have more.
An instance of the irrationality of these agencies is exemplified by the case of a small businessman, a cheese maker, whose product was so good it was in demand by the finest restaurants in the nation. He had four employees. OSHA posted 2 permanent inspectors in his business "to evaluate that the cheese was properly made."
The inspectors were bureaucrats who knew nothing about cheese-making but were employed to force businessmen to follow rules that were written by other bureaucrats who know nothing about cheese-making, on the bizarre notion that everyone must follow the same rules and the rules must be uniform.
The value of Mr. Howard's book is the many case studies he relates. He also shows that the thousands of rules of government agencies do not take into consideration the important matters of context and varying circumstance that is characteristic of any business enterprise. He concludes that to force businesses to follow uniform laws is not good law and that their proliferation is destructive. All very true.
Unfortunately, Mr. Howard falls short of the mark. He does not advocate the one solution that would completely end irrational laws. He does not appear to recognize the horrendous violations of individual rights these agencies are guilty of. He does not call for a return to limited government and a complete repeal of all government agencies, which is the only long-lasting solution to government's ever-growing invasion of our lives.
A must read July 12, 2008
Rick Kinnear
I first read this book 5 years ago. Since then I've purchased and given away over a dozen copies. When I give the book away, I challenge the reader to "don't get mad, do something about it". The examples that Howard uses illustrates how bureaucratic our society has become and with that how scarce "common sense" has become. It's a great illustration that the balance between "free will of the people" and unchecked bureaucracy continues to tip in the bureaucrats favor.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 58
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