Schools, Hospitals, Small Businesses, and Public Agencies Need to be Freed of Unnecessary Red Tape and Judged on Meeting Public Goals, not Rote Compliance

New York, NY – November 16, 2020 – The nonpartisan Campaign for Common Good called today on President-Elect Joe Biden to create a special commission to make proposals on how to make government work better. In issuing the call, Philip K. Howard, the Campaign’s Chair, released the following statement:

Public programs need a spring cleaning to refocus on public goals, not red tape. Schools, hospitals, small businesses, and public agencies are clogged with bureaucratic requirements that impede public goals and divert Americans from acting sensibly.   Almost a third of the health care dollar, for instance, goes to administration (about $1 trillion annually), and doctors spend two hours on desk work for every hour with patients. The United States is 55th in World Bank rankings for “ease of starting a business.” 

Bureaucratic overload contributes to an epidemic of burnout among teachers and doctors and is a source of broad public alienation. The cure is not deregulation, but re-regulation that re-empowers citizens and officials alike to take responsibility. Americans know this is needed: a May 2019 UChicago Harris/AP-NORC poll found that 66% of respondents think “major structural changes are needed to America’s system of government.”

“Better Government, Less Red Tape” should be a pillar of President-Elect Biden’s promise to “Build Back Better.” He has a unique chance to bring Americans together by clearing out unnecessary bureaucracy so that teachers, doctors, and entrepreneurs can roll up their sleeves and make America work again.

The Campaign for Common Good is a nonpartisan initiative to overhaul legacy bureaucracies so that government can deliver results without stifling human initiative. The Campaign proposes a clear operating vision focused on goals, not red tape. This vision, like that of the Framers, is built upon the firm foundation of individual responsibility and clear lines of accountability. 

The Campaign was launched earlier this year with a petition calling for “spring cleaning commissions” to recommend simplified codes to replace the bureaucratic tangle that has grown over the last 50 years and now paralyzes choices throughout society. The petition was signed by 100 prominent citizens, led by Mitch Daniels, Bill Bradley, Al Simpson, and leading experts in different fields.

More information on the Campaign—including the petition, the initial list of signers, and the first set of Campaign platforms—is available at www.commongood.org. To speak with Philip Howard, contact Emma McKinstry at emckinstry@highimpactpartnering.com.

Common Good (www.commongood.org) is a nonpartisan reform coalition to simplify government and restore the ability of officials and citizens alike to use common sense in daily decisions. The Founder and Chair of Common Good is Philip K. Howard, a lawyer and author, most recently, of Try Common Sense (W. W. Norton, 2019).