October 2004

Ode To IJ: Bolick Book Shows Era (and Error) of Big Government Isn’t Over

Institute for Justice co-founder Clint Bolick shows in his latest book, Leviathan: The Growth of Local Government and the Erosion of Liberty, that local government has grown exponentially. This ever-expanding beast, he explains, saps our nation’s productive vitality and threatens us with “grassroots tyranny.”

Drawing from his IJ experience, Bolick has referred to Leviathan as his “ode to IJ.” In it, he uses illuminating cases from the litigation trenches to show how powerful local government has infringed on freedom of speech, freedom of commerce and enterprise, private property rights, and even the simple right to be left alone. He compellingly explains how locally controlled government school systems reflect the values of powerful interest groups and why—despite spending millions of taxpayers’ dollars—they are unable to provide the basics of education. Bolick ultimately reveals that, although the rules are often rigged in favor of local governments and against ordinary citizens, we can take action to rein in these out-of-control bureaucracies.

Leviathan is published by the Hoover Institution and can be purchased at Laissez Faire Books or on Amazon.com.