Government today is broken!

In a keynote speech to the National Association of Attorneys General in Anchorage, Alaska, I shared my belief that the root cause of our failing political system at the state level is its failure to focus on a clear set of outcomes that matter to citizens. When 39 men affixed their signatures to the newly minted U.S. Constitution, they had big ideals. They dreamt of liberty, justice, freedom of speech, states’ rights, securing the blessings of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But one enormous unintended consequence of their design has engendered the very oppression they sought to escape. Nowhere in the constitution was thought given to the necessity for government to be efficient and innovative. None of the delegates who signed the constitution could have imagined the size and complexity of government today – employing an estimated 20 million people.

Government today is broken and at risk of going broke. To try to solve our problems, legislators generate more laws. Then, government agencies stumble over this tangled set of laws to deliver their services. However, unless we refocus on citizen outcomes, and clean up the mess, our American Way of life could end sooner then we imagine.

I invite you to watch Tangled to see exactly what I mean.

I believe it is time to act NOW!