In the Tank

"These walls are funny. First you hate 'em. Then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That's institutionalized."
Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding (The Shawshank Redemption)

Insightful missive from an Old Conservative type proposing that even libertarian-oriented think tanks like the Cato Institute are unable to shrink the government Leviathan. Why? Think tanks operate in the Iron Cage of big government. Limited government principles are likely to give way to compromise in response to institutional pressure.

Stated differently, small government think tanks are unable to reverse big government policy because they become 'institutionalized.'

He offers some thought provoking prescriptions for the government train wreck that he believes inevitable. First, learn as much as possible about the philosophies of limited government and economics (think: Mises). Second, stay plugged into the news as a reminder that government is as stupid and treacherous as theory suggests. Next, identify a non special interest resistance group (non SIG) to support in a grassroots manner. Finally, get involved in local politics under the constitutional-era belief that the most effective political action is taken locally.

P.S. Note that he cites Howard Buffett as the previous generation's Ron Paul in Washington. Like father, unlike son...