In Why Government Doesn't Work, Harry Browne--the Libertarian Party's candidate for President in 1996 and 2000--outlines the fundamental flaws of government and proposes solutions to many of America's problems. "What transformed America from the land of the free into the land of high taxes--from the land of prosperity into the land of debt and bankruptcy--from the land of opportunity to the land of quotas and lawsuits--from the land of free enterprise to the land of regulations, mandates, and government inspectors?

"The decline of America has been caused by politicians and reformers who believe that you aren't competent to run your own life, that they know better how to spend the money you've earned, that they understand which products you should be allowed to buy and what wages and job benefits are suitable for you."

In 1912 federal, state and local governments took a total of 10 percent of our income in taxes. "In 1950, the total budget of the federal government, excluding interest, was only $37 billion [$241 billion in 1995 dollars]." As of the writing of this book, it was $1.5 trillion.

Brown sees no hope in traditional politicians. "We need people who will go to Washington not to reform government programs or to reduce them, but to get rid of them. We need leaders who don't want to run the country, but who want to restore our right to run our own lives."

In chapters such as "Oops! Why Government Programs Always Go Astray", "Why the Government Grows & Grows & Grows", "How Did We Get into This Mess?", and "How Freedom Was Lost", Browne charts what is wrong with government in general (it is based on nothing more than coercion) and what's wrong with the current US government in particular ("The seeds of today's runaway government were planted when it was decided that government should help those who can't help themselves.").

Browne gives his plan to solve social and political problems in part two. It involves drastically shrinking the federal government's size and power, increasing personal liberty, and allowing privatization of many functions of the current government. The crux of his plan is revealed in this passage:

"This means getting the federal government out of welfare, education, crime control, housing, transportation, labor relations, regulation of business and the economy, and much else.

"That won't mean these areas will be forsaken.

"In some cases, state or local governments will take them over--and perform them at less cost to the taxpayer. And citizens in each state will have more power to reform or abolish the programs they choose.

"In other cases, individuals and private organizations (companies and non-profit groups) will pick up what the federal government abandons. In a free society private companies are always looking for unfulfilled needs--hoping to profit by helping people do what they can't do themselves. And when government doesn't interfere, competition drives those companies to improve their services continually--making them more convenient, less expensive, and more efficient."

"And in some cases, a federal program simply will disappear because it's no longer needed--like lamp-lighting."

He proceeds to show exactly what steps should be taken regarding several issues, including education, national defense, the Social Security Ponzi scheme, family values, the federal budget, welfare ("The only answer is to get the federal government out of welfare--and leave local governments to return to the temporary expedient' view of welfare or turn it over to private charities."), health care (abolish the FDA and Medicaid, turn Medicare over to private companies, make all medical expenses tax deductible) and crime (end the War on Drugs and Freedom, don't imprison non-violent offenders, repeal gun control laws).