Tyranny of Government

O'Rourke sees government as something inherently harmful to society. At best, he argues, it is bloated, inefficient and wasteful, concerned firstly with its own self-perpetuation and only secondarily with the people it would govern. At worst, government is something akin to organized crime, with greedy individuals acting in concert to deprive others of freedom. In the Book's final chapter, "At Home in the Parliament of Whores," O'Rourke demonstrates how the town of Blatherboro exploits a legal loophole to block the construction of a local golf course. He equates this move to an act of theft, condemning government as immoral.

O'Rourke suggests that a politician's first concern lay with his or her job security. This is problematic since, as the author demonstrates, elected officials generally serve multiple masters. Not only do they answer to the voters who elected them into office, but also to their various constituents...