A New Constitution Now (1942)

by Henry Hazlitt

Book Overview

A New Constitution Now is a book written by Henry Hazlitt and published in 1942. The book is a call for the United States to adopt a new constitution that would limit the power of the federal government and protect individual rights. Hazlitt argues that the current constitution has been interpreted in a way that has allowed the federal government to become too powerful and that this power has been used to violate the rights of citizens. He proposes...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1162556714
• ISBN13: 9781162556710
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

For the connaisseur of fine government.

Henry Hazlitt's criticism and comparison of American presidential and British cabinet government all makes sense. But, for all practical purposes, it all boils down to similar outcomes. It just takes more political skill to circumvent the controls of cabinet government, and what is claimed to be a better calibre of person in cabinet, is often simply bad instead of horrible. The much vaunted British cabinet system is hardly well demonstrated by today's British government, which has been largely replaced by non-elected government agencies, committees, and special interest groups such as environmentalists. Good government starts and ends with the voters. They must choose decent candidates and take responsibility for their choices. The American model simply high-lights this issue despite its imperfections.

As timely now as when first published

Henry Hazlitt, author of the classic 'Economics in One Lesson,' here makes the argument for replacing America's presidential system of government with a parliamentary one resembling Great Britain's. His argument is strong and well-reasoned. Even people unwilling to consider wholesale changes to the constitutional system that has lasted this long will find much to ponder in this brief book.Hazlitt argues that the tremendous expansion of government size and power has made our original constitutional design unworkable. The more government tries to do, he says, the less it is able to do well. Additionally, as he writes in the preface to the second edition, 'No man today can possess the knowledge, the wisdom, the judgment, the humility, the restraint to know how to exercise such powers and to make such a multitude of crucial decisions. In brief, so long as a President has such awesome responsibilities and powers, no man, no human being, is fit to be President.'Hazlitt also argues that the Nixon impeachment crisis proves that the constitutional system is too unwieldy: a parliamentary system could have removed Nixon without provoking a 'constitutional crisis.' The same argument can be made again, of course, citing the Clinton example.In all, this book by a respected economist and political writer deserves much wider attention than it has ever received. For people who believe government is ultimately reformable, Hazlitt's suggestions are an important contribution to a long-overdue debate.

A thought-provoking criticism of presidential government.

A New Constitution Now is a brilliant critique of American government. Hazlitt draws on the opinions of many scholars, as well as his own great insight, to explain why the presidential system of government is fundamentally flawed. He advocates adopting a parliamentary government much like that of Great Britain--minus the impotent monarch. Hazlitt scorns the traditional American fetishistic adoration of our Constitution and exposes the numerous problems (including the Civil War) that have arisen as a direct or indirect result of our "midguided" systems of separation of powers and checks and balances. Hazlitt offers both criticism and solutions, and the book is both compelling and convicing.