Local Government

For those who limit to the federal government their concerns about the size and power of the State apparatus, Clint Bolick's Leviathan (available to read online) may prove an interesting read. Borrowing from Hobbes' postulate that government can only absorb to itself power, Bolick tracks the growth of local governments in the United States, their omnipresence in daily life, and their general lack of accountability for the powers they exercise. If you need a good horror story and Edgar Allen Poe isn't scary enough for you anymore, try Bolick.