The longest-ever federal government shutdown and the flawed Presidency of Donald Trump are symptoms of something far deeper: Dysfunction in Washington.

In this episode, Philip K. Howard attacks the failed ideologies of Republicans and Democrats, and calls for a radical simplification of government to re-empower Americans in their daily choices. Americans are a practical people, he says. They want government to be practical.

"Unfortunately, we got this idea in the 1960's that we could solve the problems of human fallibility by just telling everybody how to do everything,"  Philip tells us. "Rules are the ultimate dictator, and even worse, you can't yell at them."

For more than a decade, Philip has been campaigning for a government than works. He is an expert on effects of modern law and bureaucracy on human behavior. Philip is the author of several books, including the best-seller “The Death of Common Sense: How Law Is Suffocating America” and, “Try Common Sense: Replacing Failed Ideologies of Left and Right” He’s the founder of Common Good, a nonprofit group with this mission statement "simplify government, put humans back in charge, and cut mindless red tape.”