By the People

Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission

By: Charles Murray

Narrated by: John H. Mayer

The American way of life, built on individual liberty and limited government, is on life support.

American freedom is being gutted. Whether we are trying to run a business, practice a vocation, raise our families, cooperate with our neighbors, or follow our religious beliefs, we run afoul of the government—not because we are doing anything wrong but because the government has decided it knows better. When we object, that government can and does tell us, “Try to fight this, and we’ll ruin you.”

In this provocative book, acclaimed social scientist and bestselling author Charles Murray shows us why we can no longer hope to roll back the power of the federal government through the normal political process. The Constitution is broken in ways that cannot be fixed even by a sympathetic Supreme Court. Our legal system is increasingly lawless, unmoored from traditional ideas of “the rule of law.” The legislative process has become systemically corrupt no matter which party is in control.But there’s good news beyond the Beltway. Technology is siphoning power from sclerotic government agencies and putting it in the hands of individuals and communities. The rediversification of American culture is making local freedom attractive to liberals as well as conservatives. People across the political spectrum are increasingly alienated from a regulatory state that nakedly serves its own interests rather than those of ordinary Americans.

The even better news is that federal government has a fatal weakness: It can get away with its thousands of laws and regulations only if the overwhelming majority of Americans voluntarily comply with them. Murray describes how civil disobedience backstopped by legal defense funds can make large portions of the 180,000-page Federal Code of Regulations unenforceable, through a targeted program that identifies regulations that arbitrarily and capriciously tell us what to do. Americans have it within their power to make the federal government an insurable hazard like hurricanes and floods, leaving us once again free to live our lives as we see fit.

By the People’s hopeful message is that rebuilding our traditional freedoms does not require electing a right-thinking Congress or president, nor does it require five right-thinking justices on the Supreme Court. It can be done by we the people, using America’s unique civil society to put government back in its proper box.

©2015 Charles Murray (P)2015 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"By the People is a study in contradictions. It is simultaneously depressing and inspiring, technical and profound, infuriating and charming, but always compelling. Charles Murray plays the role of a liberty-loving Lenin asking the question, 'What is to be done?' To this end, he offers a practical guide to repairing our broken constitutional order. It is that rarest of books: a populist manifesto grounded in fact and logic." --Jonah Goldberg

"A road map to recapture true American exceptionalism. With passion, brilliance, and a keen sense of the radical essence of what America means, Murray dismisses what passes for political debate today and offers an audacious plan to restore the liberty our founders bequeathed to us." -- Edward Crane, president emeritus, Cato Institute

"Liberty without permission? Selective civil disobedience? I'm in! At first I balked, but Murray makes a convincing case that a Madison Fund might scrape away the sclerosis of the suffocating state. As usual, his original arguments expand the way I think. When law is so complex that it's indistinguishable from lawlessness, when the tax code is 4 million words long, something like systematic disobedience is badly needed." --John Stossel

Finally, some possible solutions

This book offers an outstanding education on the constitution including is creation and how it has been hijacked by progressives. Most importantly it offers real solutions to regain our liberty.

Thoughtful and brave intellectual

Charles Murray is one of America's most thoughtful and brave intellectuals. We are fortunate to have him.

How the Citizen can Overcome the Instrusive State

Would you consider the audio edition of By the People to be better than the print version?

I think the book would work either way.

What was one of the most memorable moments of By the People?

The full understanding of how unelected officials run the government.

Have you listened to any of John H. Mayer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first Mayer.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The way the system works frustrates me. Murray has a viable option to wrestle back freedom, but I have my doubts that people would band together in time to make a difference,

Any additional comments?

Like anything Murray writes, it's original and thought provoking. It was a great listen during my daily commute to work.

Well reasoned.

Not what I wanted to hear, but I cannot argue Mr Murray's logic. This is a plausible blueprint for saving America.
Easy to listen to.

Narrator and audio quality are great.

What a read!!!

What a thoughtful and interesting read. I appreciate his Madisonian insight and pragmatic policy fixes. Well worth the read!

One of the best

By the people is a heavy book about the road ahead to reform. This reform is not just about progressive or conservative effort, but it is about the American people from every background standing together for liberty.

The fatal construction by the American bureaucracy

The author well outlines all the flaws with our bureaucracy and it’s not pretty. Although he concludes the book with reforms that could well change our collision course, in the end he calls it at least a shot of a chance but the books underlying tone belies his hope that it is possible. Notability absent is the country’s departure from shared moral standards of which the founding fathers said were of absolute necessity for a sustained democracy.
Moral relativism has replaced our Christian heritage. Mr. Murray always has keen insight into socio-political issues and this book is no exception I highly recommend it.

Maybe our only alternative

Author has some good ideas on civil disobedience, backed by a defense support group, that may reduce the authoritarian demands of the regulatory state. I think he's right that the politicians will never fix the problem.

Hard to listen to because of the painful truth

Would you listen to By the People again? Why?

Yes, because it is important to understand, fully, the reasons for the problems that we as a society currently face.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There are no characters to choose favorites from.

Which scene was your favorite?

No scene is Favorited. It is a grim reminder of our current course.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My view was further clarified through this book. My reaction was of sadness and frustration.

Any additional comments?

Listen to this book and try to change yourself and the people around you.

wow! very thoughtful and engaging

fantastic! I loved the way in which the author compared popular ideas to solve government overreach which cannot overcome key legal precedents. solutions are believable and realistic