Nothing captures our attention like a good fantasy.

* The earth is flat
* The Loch Ness monster
* Sasquatch
* The fountain of youth
* The 100-mpg carburetor
* Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone
* Cold Fusion

Of all the myths, mirages, and misconceptions cherished over the years by people all over the world, however, the most pervasive in our civilization today might very well be the most assiduously reinforced:

Were from the government and were here to help.

People around the planet still today believe that their governmentsthose pontificating palaces of power, those culpable castles of corruption, those bloated bureaucracies of baloney, thosewell, well get into all that latercan help them where faith and family and countless private, voluntary, civil societal institutions and marketplace forces cannot. Because of the widespread following this myth enjoys, exploring it closely ought to provide some interesting insight, amusement, and perhaps just a bit of apprehension. To do so will require some understanding of the nature of societies, of economics, and of the problems that occur when the wants and needs of some individuals conflict with those of others. And, as we will discover, it all boils down to one simple principle. As a matter of fact, lets discover that one simple principle right now

What has been mankinds greatest problem through the ages? Hunger? Pestilence? Natural disasters? Perhaps not. Lets explore another feature of mans existence. Pick a war. Any war. Start with the world as it is today. Theres the War on Terror, the Palestinian-Israeli struggle, the War on Iraq, conflicts all over Africa, in the Philippines, between India and Pakistan, in Chechnya, and lots more. Pick any, say, ten of them. Im sure theres at least that many. They come and go. It doesnt matter. Choose ten. Make a list.
Now go back in history. Pick another ten wars. Big, small, whatever you want. Any ten, at any time in history, on any continent, in any country. Vietnam. World War I. Or II. The Seven Years War. The 100 Years War. The Crusades. The Peloponnesian War. Your choice. It doesnt matter. Make another list.
Now, what one single thing do all twenty of your chosen wars have in common?
That might seem like an impossible question. After all, how could any twenty such disruptive events, chosen at random from the more than 14,000 wars in mans known history have a single common thread that links them all?
Stumped? Lets make it even more complicated. Pick any ten contentious issues from now or in the past. Your choice again. Abortion, prayer in school, gun control, smoking, gay rights, free trade, save the whales, Fifty-four forty or fight, immigration, manifest destiny, womens suffrage, temperance, the Inquisition, a college football playoff. Whatever you want. It doesnt matter. Make another list. Add it to the first two.
Now, again, what one single thing do all of these wars, debates, events, or causes have in common? No, no, take your timeif you dont, youll kick yourself for not seeing it. You probably will anyway.
Tickticktick
Okay, times up. Whats your answer? Money? Anger? Passion? Greed? Lust? High costs? Maybe. Maybe often. But not always. Suffered enough? Then contemplate this:

In the long and tumultuous history of mankind, every war, every conflict, and every injustice is an attempt by one person or group to impose their will on another.

Wait a minute! you cry. Thats it? Thats the sum total of your startling revelation? Why thats so patently obvious its not even an answer!
And yetit is true. It is always the case. Its simple, but just being simple doesnt lessen the importance this recognition can have for us. Not every attempt to impose will is successful, but just the attempt is sufficient to create the conflict. And sure, lots of times the will being imposed might be well-intentioned, or highly moral (at least to somebody), or even that of a considerable majority. But that doesnt change the basic fact: Every single dispute that has ever arisenanywhere, anytimehas been because somebody tried to force someone else to do something their way.
Simple.
True.
Undeniable.

In this book, I will use this Undeniable Truth to show you why smart guys do stupid things, how our nation has changed because of these smart guys doing stupid things, and what must be done to clean up the mess these smart guys doing stupid things have made.
Dont let yourself get lost in the breadth or depth or details of the many topics I will be throwing at you. The wizards who run this asylum we call America would like to have you believe that it is all very complicated, beyond your capacity to understand, and that only theyas the munificent and all-powerful Ozare up to the job. But stick with me and we will pull back and see whats really behind the wizards curtain and why myths persist.
This book is not about inventing new Laffer Curves to maximize tax revenues; it is not about limiting corruption in politics (although that will be critical); it is not about creating a better Social Security system (although that is necessary); it is not about improving the economy (although that would happen). This book is about one simple ideaan idea that runs through every fabric of human society. In order to understand this one simple idea we will, along the way, discuss all of these other topics and use them to illustrate the far-reaching consequences of this idea. No matter how complicated or controversial the subject, I will constantly be explaining it in light of a simple, Undeniable Truth.
If we each grab a beer this will probably be a lot easier.