606 words                  The Freeman
page 1 of 3                Foundation for Economic Education
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            Decentralization: Freedom by Diffusion

                       by David C. Huff

     One of the beneficial aspects of national election
campaigns is their reminder to us that America is becoming
dangerously enamored with the false hope of political
salvation.  The finances, energy, media attention, and zealous
devotion heaped upon candidates for high office at times
reaches messianic proportions.  They provide further evidence
that what was once a valid political process now borders on
idolatry.

     What has caused our nation's obsession with politics?  To
fix blame upon the electoral system, or upon the candidates,
would be inaccurate and overlook the true cause.  Such a
fixation on politics is but one indication of an increasing
drift toward what author Gary DeMar has termed a "Pyramid
Society": the utopian vision of enhancing our culture by
improving the civil government, with the benefits of such
improvements filtering down through institutional layers to
eventually impact the individual.  It is easy to see how this
ideology produces an unwarranted emphasis on politics.

     The essence of decentralization is a social order
characterized by the diffusion of power away from an
authoritarian nation-state where politics, economics, and
eventually all of life are regulated through the control of a
centralized government.  By such diffusion, the potential
tyranny of the Pyramid Society gives way to the freedoms of
multiple jurisdictions, self-government, and the practical
hierarchy of family, community, and local government.

     The natural appeal of decentralism can be appreciated by
examining its rich historical precedents.  Throughout history,
the disintegrations of both national governments and
totalitarian regimes have been followed by the appearance of a
variety of local assemblies which effectively administered
societal affairs.

     The lessons from history are compelling, and none more so
than that of the United States.  The decentralist philosophy
was a driving force in America's early years, and leaders such
as Thomas Jefferson were acutely sensitive to the insidious
encroachment of centralism which already had begun during
their lifetimes.  Jefferson saw in decentralization the spirit
of a free society, where each individual would participate in
government on a localized, "bottom-up" basis.

     The repeated emergence of decentralization throughout the
centuries should not be considered an anomaly.  Indeed,
decentralism's longevity and durability bear strong witness to
its practicality.  Though interventionists stubbornly claim
that the need for centralization of power increases as nations
become larger and more complex, it is statist programs that
have failed time and again.

     One important example of the efficacy of decentralization
is in the area of economics.  The absence of intervention is
integral to the successful operation of the free enterprise
system.  Under laissez-faire capitalism, a society's economy
prospers as individuals pursue the improvement of their well-
being through the unhampered functioning of supply and demand
coupled with the profitable ventures of entrepreneurs.  The
freedom of choice and diversity of opportunity available in a
decentralized free market economy are intensely practical, and
become increasingly so as the society expands -- for more
complexity produces additional choices and enhances the
division of labor.

     Contrast this with the well-documented and bitter fruits
of central planning.  True freedom, social stability, and
economic health can be realized only by applying the practical
self-government approach of decentralization.

     A survey of American history reveals a disturbing trend
toward centralization and a growing ideology of political
salvation.  To continue down the present path will destroy the
freedom of future generations.

     Clearly, then, one imperative for our future as a free
nation is the propagation and application of the precepts of
decentralization.  By replacing the misguided illusion of
political salvation with education and action in the areas of
personal responsibility, limited government, free enterprise,
and the liberty-producing features of decentralism, our
society can avoid the lethal errors of the Pyramid Society.

__________________________________________________________
Mr. Huff is Chief Financial Officer of Fox-Rowden-McBrayer in
Atlanta, Georgia.  This article is adapted from the November
1988 issue of The Freeman.