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The New Road to Serfdom

Page 16

by Daniel Hannan


  advantages of, 56

  autonomy of, compared with European countries, 63

  as constitutional, 59, 62, 64

  design of political institutions and, 39

  economic prosperity and, 56

  federal income tax and, 65

  growth of federal government at expense of, 46

  health care reform and, 90

  Nullification Crisis and, 63

  welfare administration and, 93–98

  Sudan, 149–50

  Sumners, Hatton, 171

  supra-nationalism

  climate change and, 128

  costs, 54

  EU policy of, 139–40

  global governance and, 57–58

  U.S. and, xxi, 13, 57–58, 76, 118, 183

  Switzerland

  direct election of officials, 116, 117

  gun ownership, xx

  immigrants in, 117

  income per capita, 56

  localism in government, 116–17

  national identity of Swiss, 116

  refusal to join the EU, 117

  systems competition, 53

  taxes

  American Revolution and, 175

  Americans for Tax Reform, 161

  carbon taxes, 76

  Europeanizing of American, xvi, 15, 118

  low, American, 16, 33

  protection against, 46, 172

  Sixteenth Amendment and, 64

  Stamp Act of 1766, 175

  state setting of, 63

  systems competition and, 53

  tax haven countries, 56

  Tea Party and, 153–58, 161–62

  United Kingdom, 31

  Tea Party Movement, 153–58, 161–62

  terrorism, 111–12

  assassination of Theo Van Gogh, 106

  EU and Hamas, 125

  IRA and, 112–13

  London Underground bombing, 37

  modern welfare state and, 112–13

  UK Muslim terrorists, 106–7, 111

  Thatcher, Margaret, 87, 165

  Thick of It, The (TV series), 21

  Times of London, 13

  Tocqueville, Alexis de, 116

  Turkey

  birthrates and family, 104–5

  Kurdish minority, 124

  World War I and, 110

  un-Americanism, 5, 6, 16

  United Kingdom

  America and, closeness of relationship, 173–87

  Anglo-American imperium, 180–82

  British character, xv, 5

  British Constitution, 171

  British election rules, 29–30

  British Islam, historically, 109–10

  British liberties in America, 171–87

  British Tea Party, 176–77

  Conservative Party, 34, 38, 158, 164–65, 168

  Contract with Britain, 168

  Crown prerogative, 185

  cultural unity with U.S., 180–81

  dislike of politicians, 25–26

  election rules, 176

  English Civil War, 173, 174–75

  financial crisis of 2008 and, 71

  governance of, current, 5, 24–25

  health system, 85–88

  Labour Party, 30, 33, 38

  lack of accountability of officials, 30, 36–38

  London Underground bombing, 107, 113

  Magna Carta, 178

  Muslims in, 111–14

  Muslim terrorists from, 106–7, 111

  open primaries, 34

  Parliament’s lack of control of the executive, 30, 31

  Police Authorities, 36, 38

  political responsibility without power, 25

  power of, and loyalty to, 111

  quangos and, 24–25, 38, 135, 136

  shift in power away from elected representatives, 184–86

  South East England, 33

  Standing Orders, 185

  stimulus package, 31

  sympathy with revolutionary American colonists and, 172, 174

  taxation, 31

  TV political dramas, 20–21

  welfare system, 92–93, 111

  Westminster expenses crisis, 25–27

  United Nations, 130, 143, 144, 149

  U.S. Constitution, xviii, xxiii, 41–49

  amendments, 64–66

  Bill of Rights, 42, 62

  British liberties, and, 171–87

  broad principles, 41

  danger of loss, 16

  decentralization of government in, 3

  dispersal of power, 46, 59

  Eighteenth Amendment, 65

  emphasis on the individual, 4, 42, 45, 62

  executive branch, checks on, 46

  freedoms guaranteed by, 4

  as inspirational to other countries, 118

  length, 41

  major concerns of, 45–46

  Nineteenth Amendment, 66

  opening line, 45

  powers granted to the federal government, 59

  racial issues and, 10–11

  ratification of, 42–43

  representative government, 3, 47

  sense of nationhood and, 48–49, 173

  Seventeenth Amendment, 65

  Sixteenth Amendment, 64

  states’ rights and, 59, 62, 64

  taxes and, 46

  Tenth Amendment, 62

  U.S. Declaration of Independence, 42, 185–86

  U.S. government

  as accountable to the governed, 34

  Anglo-American imperium, 180–82

  bailouts, 155, 169

  balanced budget rules, 28

  centralization of power in, 16, 18, 53, 58, 63, 64–70, 117, 155–58, 168

  centralization of welfare, 97

  congressional regulation of industry, 64, 68, 118, 128, 168

  diversity in the legislature, 33–34

  election of senators, 65

  Europeanizing of American, 16

  executive branch growth, 46, 63, 66–71

  expenditure and borrowing, 18, 58, 69, 70, 85, 153, 162

  financial crisis of 2008 and, 71

  foreign policy, 120–51

  genius of republican principles, 183

  health care reform and, 90–91

  intervention into state and personal affairs, 16, 168

  negatives of big government, 60–61, 71, 73

  powers vested by the Constitution, 59

  prevention of corruption in, 27–28

  programs easier to establish than discontinue, 70

  security forces, increased powers, 168–69

  separation of powers, 30–31, 59

  state ownership of key enterprises, 85

  U.S. Supreme Court, 67

  Uzbekistan, 134

  Van Gogh, Theo, 106, 113

  Van Rompuy, Herman, 57

  Vaubel, Roland, 61

  Washington, George, 174

  Washington Times, 149

  welfare, 91–98

  American model, xxi, 92

  cradle to grave welfare, effect of, 105

  deleterious effect of, 112

  Europeanizing of American, xvi, 75

  European Union (EU), 98

  Florida reform of, 96

  localism, advantages of, 96–98

  as terrorist breeding ground, 111–13

  U.S. Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, 93–96

  Wisconsin reform of, 95

  West Wing, The (TV series), 20, 39

  Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century (Leonard), 124–26

  Wilson, Woodrow, 63, 65, 66

  Winthrop, John, 1, 3, 186

  Wooldridge, Adrian, 163–64

  World War II, 9, 47

  economic growth and, 82–83

  expansion of government and, 105

  plebiscitary democracy and, 47

  U.S.-UK alliance, 180

  Wright, Jeremiah, 11–12

  Yes, Minister (TV series), 20, 39

  Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal, 145


  A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

  I am grateful to the many Americans who hosted me during the six months while I was writing this book: to Ed Feulner and Sally McNamara at the Heritage Foundation; to Fred Smith, Iain Murray, and Myron Ebell at the Competitive Enterprise Institute; to Michael Bowman and the American Legislative Exchange Council; to John Caldara of the Independence Institute; to John Goodman and Tab Boyles of the National Center for Policy Analysis; to Allen Roth and Jonah Goldberg; to Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey; and, most of all, to Lori Roman of Regular Folks United.

  Thanks, too, to Adam Bellow for having had the idea in the first place, and to the brilliant David Batt, with whom, in many long conversations, I shaped my opinions into a semblance of order.

  Thanks to my wonderful Scottish-American cousins in Philadelphia, John, Nancy, Mary, Ryan, and Lavina. And thanks especially to Annabel and Allegra, who have more patience than any father has the right to expect.

  Copyright

  THE NEW ROAD TO SERFDOM. Copyright © 2010 by Daniel Hannan.

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  EPub Edition © AUGUST 2010 ISBN: 978-0-061-99476-0

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  FIRST EDITION

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

  ISBN: 978-0-06-195693-5

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