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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 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.
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 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.
- GenresNonfiction
152 pages, Hardcover
Published September 23, 2025
3 people are currently reading
2095 people want to read
About the author
Philip K. Howard
20 books45 followersPhilip K. Howard, a lawyer, advises leaders of both parties on legal and regulatory reform. He is chair of Common Good and a contributor to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Philip K. Howard is a well-known leader of government and legal reform in America. His new book, The Rule of Nobody (W. W. Norton & Company, April 2014), has been praised by Fareed Zakaria as “an utterly compelling and persuasive book that, if followed, could change the way America works.” His TED Talk has has been viewed by almost 500,000 people.
Philip is also the author of the best-seller The Death of Common Sense (Random House, 1995), The Collapse of the Common Good (Ballantine Books, 2002) and Life Without Lawyers (W. W. Norton & Company, 2009).
In 2002, Philip formed Common Good, a nonpartisan national coalition dedicated to restoring common sense to America. Philip writes periodically for The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and The New York Times, and has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, PBS NewsHour, Today, Good Morning America, Charlie Rose, and numerous other programs.
The son of a minister, Philip got his start working summers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for Nobel laureate Eugene Wigner and has been active in public affairs his entire adult life. He is a prominent civic leader in New York City and has advised national political leaders on legal and regulatory reform for fifteen years, including Vice President Al Gore and numerous governors. He is a Partner at the law firm Covington & Burling, LLP. He is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Virginia Law School, and lives in Manhattan with his wife Alexandra. They have four children.
Philip K. Howard is a well-known leader of government and legal reform in America. His new book, The Rule of Nobody (W. W. Norton & Company, April 2014), has been praised by Fareed Zakaria as “an utterly compelling and persuasive book that, if followed, could change the way America works.” His TED Talk has has been viewed by almost 500,000 people.
Philip is also the author of the best-seller The Death of Common Sense (Random House, 1995), The Collapse of the Common Good (Ballantine Books, 2002) and Life Without Lawyers (W. W. Norton & Company, 2009).
In 2002, Philip formed Common Good, a nonpartisan national coalition dedicated to restoring common sense to America. Philip writes periodically for The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and The New York Times, and has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, PBS NewsHour, Today, Good Morning America, Charlie Rose, and numerous other programs.
The son of a minister, Philip got his start working summers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for Nobel laureate Eugene Wigner and has been active in public affairs his entire adult life. He is a prominent civic leader in New York City and has advised national political leaders on legal and regulatory reform for fifteen years, including Vice President Al Gore and numerous governors. He is a Partner at the law firm Covington & Burling, LLP. He is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Virginia Law School, and lives in Manhattan with his wife Alexandra. They have four children.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 22, 2026
I always appreciate what Howard has to say (though he's repetitive across many of his books). The main point in this work is that regulation has stifled the country, barring people from making common-sense decisions for the good of all.
Hard to argue with, right? We don't trust anyone anymore, so we write a million rules, then act surprised when they don't get followed. This is true in infrastructure and education (the specific foci of the last two-thirds of the monograph), and it's true in other fields as well--medicine, finance, you name it.
Howard doesn't spend a lot of time talking about how his plan would actually be implemented to pare away the rules and replace them with goals and guidelines. It would be quite a struggle. But I think it would be worth it.
Hard to argue with, right? We don't trust anyone anymore, so we write a million rules, then act surprised when they don't get followed. This is true in infrastructure and education (the specific foci of the last two-thirds of the monograph), and it's true in other fields as well--medicine, finance, you name it.
Howard doesn't spend a lot of time talking about how his plan would actually be implemented to pare away the rules and replace them with goals and guidelines. It would be quite a struggle. But I think it would be worth it.
January 27, 2026
Spot on assessment of our current over-regulated and polarized culture, but Howard’s proposed remedies would be nearly impossible to sell. His solutions are built on trust which is almost completely lacking in contemporary society. He offers a blueprint for a rebuild after a disaster – think New Orleans after Katrina, or the repair of the I-95 bridge collapse of 2023 – which can be successful, but only under certain extreme conditions. Now, a lot of people think that we’re heading for such a breakdown in the US today, but until it happens, Howard’s ideas would be extremely difficult to implement.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews