Sharon Rondeau, the editor of the Post & Email published this book review of “Devolution of Power” on her site, https://www.thepostemail.com/ on April 7, 2024. This is a reprint of her book review.

(Apr. 7, 2024) — William L. Kovacs’s “Devolution of Power: Rolling Back the Federal State to Preserve the Republic” outlines a commonsense, step-by-step process by which the federal government, through congressional legislation and state cooperation, can save the United States from certain destruction brought on by more than a century of unsustainable spending.
The concise, 173-page book identifies the elements contributing to the current administrative behemoth “governing” American citizens but co-opted, Kovacs contends, by politicians from both parties more interested in ideology than in fulfilling their constitutional duty to protect the individual rights, freedoms and security of their constituents.
As the book unfolds, Kovacs identifies specific federal programs and expenditures which could be trimmed or eliminated altogether, with others “devolved” to the states for more efficient administration. As the book progresses, the author presents a credible means by which the process might take place to recover the nation from the brink of financial collapse resulting from political corruption.
Whether from the federal government’s 438 agencies for the purposes of entitlement programs, “climate change,” an ever-growing number of “regulations” affecting consumables from air mattresses to yarn as well as the food Americans consume, Kovacs maintains the states can more efficiently deliver the services their citizens wish to retain while purging others, thereby reducing wasteful spending, shedding unnecessary government payroll and restoring the “republican” form of government guaranteed in Article IV, Section 4 of the United States Constitution.
Through this shift in power, the author points out, the Tenth Amendment — “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people” — would be rejuvenated despite its evisceration by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 1941 opinion in United States v. Darby.
The book additionally reveals congressional spending of taxpayer dollars of which likely few Americans are aware exemplified by the “Judgment Fund.” As “the mother of all slush funds,” Kovacs brings to light that in years past Congress would review each proposed expenditure from the Fund but eventually ceded that authority to the executive branch.
The money, the Treasury Department reports and Kovacs points out, has been used to defend members of Congress and federal agencies from lawsuits as well as by Barack Obama to send Iran a total of $1.7 billion in cash without congressional approval.
Among the author’s ideas for strengthening state governance as a corollary to his plan is the passage of “Personal Liberty laws,” an initiative already undertaken by both “blue” and “red” states alike concerning gun rights, civil rights and protection from federal encroachments.
“Devolution of Power” is a must-read for anyone concerned about the growing federal deficit, corruption in government resulting from unlimited borrowing and politicking, impractical and irrational mandates issued by unaccountable bureaucrats, and the U.S. as an increasingly weakened power on the world stage.
— By creating a federal government that focuses on protecting national security and the nation’s economic well-being while empowering states to manage most of the domestic needs of their citizens, the nation begins to restore accountability and trust in government. Devolution of power to the states may be the only viable path the citizens and states can organize around to save the Republic. — William L. Kovacs, “Devolution of Power: Rolling Back the Federal State to Preserve the Republic,” p. 172”