The most serious ills of American government are due to bureaucratization, what political scientists call “centralization of administration.” Contrary to what is ordinarily supposed, centralization of administration in the United States is not a century-old, inevitable trend, but a creature of the choices made well within the living memory of many. It is important to understand that the “Great Society” of Lyndon Johnson is the true father of our present troubles, far more than is the New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt. This point is important, because it correctly explains what is the root of bureaucracy in America.