Saving Can-Do: How to Revive the Spirit of America

Frustration with government is widespread, but neither party has a vision for making things work sensibly. In Saving Can-Do, Philip K. Howard shows how to revive our freedom to roll up our sleeves and act like Americans again.

All societies periodically undergo a major shift in the social order. America is at one of those moments of change, but neither political party is offering a vision for overhaul. President Trump’s approach to government is to swing a wrecking ball at the status quo. But how will Washington work better the day after DOGE? Democrats are in denial, waiting their turn to run a bloated government that Americans increasingly loathe.

In this brief, bold book, Philip K. Howard, the civic philosopher who advises leaders of both sides, offers a dramatically simpler governing vision: Replace red tape with responsibility. Let Americans use their judgment. Let other Americans hold them accountable for their results and their values.

In Saving Can-Do, best-selling author Philip K. Howard unlocks the quandary of populist resentment and also of broken government. Nothing works as it should because red tape has strangled common sense. Of course people don’t get along--we’re not allowed to be ourselves.

The geniuses in the 1960s tried to create a government better than people. Just follow the rules. Or prove that your judgment about someone is fair. But how do you prove who is selfish, or doesn’t try hard? Bureaucracy makes people go brain dead--so focused on mindless compliance that they can’t solve the problem before them.

America is flailing in legal quicksand. The solution is a new governing framework that allows Americans to roll up their sleeves and take responsibility. We must scrap the red tape state. What’s required is a multi-year effort to replace these massive failed bureaucracies with simpler codes that are activated by people using their judgment. The idea is not radical, but traditional--it’s the operating philosophy of the Constitution. As America approaches the 250th anniversary of the revolution, it’s time to reclaim the magic of America’s unique can-do culture.

PHILIP K. HOWARD is a lawyer, author, and civic leader. He is chair of Common Good, a nonpartisan organization aimed at simplifying government. He grew up in Kentucky and lives in New York City.