''Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America from Washington'' is a 2010 political non-fiction book authored by then

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, wh ...

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republi ...

and his senior advisor

Chip Roy Charles Eugene "Chip" Roy (born August 7, 1972) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's . A member of the Republican Party, Roy took office on January 3, 2019. Before his election to Congress, he s ...

, published by

Little, Brown and Company Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emil ...

. It was released shortly after Perry's re-election to a third term as governor. The book analyzes

states' rights In American political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments rather than the federal government according to the United States Constitution, reflecting especially the enumerated powers of Congress and ...

and the growing role of the federal government, demonstrating Perry's support for

federalism Federalism is a combined or compound mode of government that combines a general government (the central or "federal" government) with regional governments (provincial, state, cantonal, territorial, or other sub-unit governments) in a single po ...

. In the book, he argues that state sovereignty was dominant at the founding of the United States, but was lost through time as the federal government overreached through excessive spending, over-taxation and over-regulation. Perry feels that this has led to frustration among the populace, which gave rise to the

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009. Members of the movement called for lower taxes and for a reduction of the national debt and federal budget defic ...

. The book charts a course to end the growth of the federal government. While the book takes aim at the political culture in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, it also promotes the concept of

American exceptionalism American exceptionalism is the belief that the United States is inherently different from other nations.

Background

Perry decided to write the book in 2009 after attending three Tea Party events in one day. He found "people who were really scared for the first time in their lives that their government was so out of touch with them". In May 2010, after Perry secured the Texas gubernatorial nomination of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

against Senator

Kay Bailey Hutchison Kay Bailey Hutchison (born Kathryn Ann Bailey; July 22, 1943) is an American attorney, television correspondent, politician, diplomat, and was the 22nd United States Permanent Representative to NATO from 2017 until 2021. A member of the Republi ...

revealed that Perry had signed a deal to write a book in support of the

Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Tenth Amendment (Amendment X) to the United States Constitution, a part of the Bill of Rights, was ratified on December 15, 1791. It expresses the principle of federalism, also known as states' rights, by stating that the federal governme ...

, specifically in opposition to the role of the federal government at the expense of the states and the people. A press release from the publishing company stated that the book would focus on "how an increasing concentration of power in Washington will lead to further unsustainable debt, greater limits on opportunity and success, and a permanent dependency class — adding up to a potentially failed nation." ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''The Galves ...

'' reported that the book would largely reflect the issues used by Perry to successfully defeat Hutchison, especially his criticism of her support for deficit spending and the stimulus packages. Spokesman Mark Miner commented that Perry was passionate about the issues raised in the book. The press release quoted Perry as saying the "future of the nation" is at risk, but that he's "convinced that the burgeoning grass-roots energy and widespread concern can restore balance to our system and invigorate our nation in the decades to come. It's the governors from both parties who must lead this fight." After the news, the campaign for

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

gubernatorial nominee Bill White attacked Perry for accepting stimulus funds and for writing a book to "raise his national profile" rather than dealing with the problems in the state. Miner disputed the claim and argued that the governor could "multitask". Jim Hornfischer, the literary agent for Perry, explained that the governor would receive help from one or two researchers and that the book would be short. After Perry's re-election as governor, the book was released on November 15, 2010.

Content

The book begins with a foreword by former

House Speaker The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerfo ...

Newt Gingrich. He defends the governorship of Perry, and argues that the state of Texas is better off economically than others because of the lack of a state income tax. He also defends his own ''

Contract with America The Contract with America was a legislative agenda advocated for by the Republican Party during the 1994 congressional election campaign. Written by Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey, and in part using text from former President Ronald Reagan's 198 ...

'', which he credits with helping to balance the federal budget in the late 1990s. In the preface, Perry describes his humble beginnings and explains his "vantage point" for writing the book as a governor of Texas for nearly a decade. He writes: The first chapter, titled "America Is Great, Washington Is Broken" explains the logic of why state sovereignty, particularly in empowerment of the individual, is important and was part of the founders' vision. It also provides statistics to back the claim that the federal government expanded its role in the recent years, and defends the concept of American exceptionalism, arguing that America is "worth saving". The next chapter titled "Why States Matter" goes back into the early history of the United States, explaining how the American colonists were "fed up" with the faraway government in England. It also describes the American tradition of federalism from the standpoint of the

Federalist Papers ''The Federalist Papers'' is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. The ...

, and the reasoning behind the adoption of the Tenth Amendment. It then provides a contemporary account, explaining that the morals of individuals vary between different states, which allows individuals to vote with their feet. Perry says that while Massachusetts "passed state-run health care... ndsanctioned gay marriage... exanslimit regulations, keep taxes low, leave marriage between a man and a woman, and let our citizens choose their own health care plan". He then explains that states can be laboratories to see which policies work and which do not. Rick Perry by Gage Skidmore 3

In the next section, Perry discusses slavery and argues that such legislation as the

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 The Fugitive Slave Act or Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern interests in slavery and Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geogra ...

and the Supreme Court decision in ''

Dred Scott v. Sandford ''Dred Scott v. Sandford'', 60 U.S. (19 How.) 393 (1857), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that held the U.S. Constitution did not extend American citizenship to people of black African descent, enslaved or free; t ...

'' were assaults on the states' rights of the northern states. He comments that the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

was inevitable and that the

Thirteenth In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave pl ...

, Fourteenth and

Fifteenth In music, a fifteenth or double octave, abbreviated ''15ma'', is the interval between one musical note and another with one-quarter the wavelength or quadruple the frequency. It has also been referred to as the bisdiapason. The fourth harmonic, ...

amendments along with the

Civil Rights Act Civil Rights Act may refer to several acts of the United States Congress, including: * Civil Rights Act of 1866, extending the rights of emancipated slaves by stating that any person born in the United States regardless of race is an American citi ...

were all necessary for individual rights. However, in the next chapter titled "What Happened to the Founders' Vision", Perry argues that the federal government grew too powerful during the

Progressive Era The Progressive Era (late 1890s – late 1910s) was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States focused on defeating corruption, monopoly, waste and inefficiency. The main themes ended during Am ...

and cites the

Sixteenth The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th century ...

and Seventeenth amendments as an attack on states' rights. Further, he feels that the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Con ...

policies of President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

created a "massive federal government" and

welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitab ...

. He argues that it did not end the Great Depression, which instead was settled by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Perry finds that later presidents such as Lyndon Johnson felt the New Deal worked and initiated their own spending programs like the

Great Society The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States launched by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964–65. The term was first coined during a 1964 commencement address by President Lyndon B. Johnson at the University ...

. He argues that Presidents and Congress have overly been broad in their interpretation of the

Commerce Clause The Commerce Clause describes an enumerated power listed in the United States Constitution ( Article I, Section 8, Clause 3). The clause states that the United States Congress shall have power "to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and amo ...

. The next chapter, titled "Washington Is Bankrupting America", Perry goes in-depth about the debt situation in the United States, railing against earmarks and

entitlement An entitlement is a provision made in accordance with a legal framework of a society. Typically, entitlements are based on concepts of principle ("rights") which are themselves based in concepts of social equality or enfranchisement. In psycholo ...

spending, particularly

Social Security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

. He explains that recent overspending, starting under President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

for temporary relief, became the primary policy of

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

, and is actually preventing recession recovery and economic freedom. In the next chapter, "No American Left Alone", Perry details the growing bureaucracy in the federal government, which he feels is overreaching. He explicitly denounces "Obamacare", the

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...

, as an unconstitutional intrusion, and derides the

No Child Left Behind Act The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; it included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students. It supported standards-based educati ...

and the

Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

. The sixth chapter, titled "Nine Unelected Judges Tell Us How to Live", examines the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point ...

and how some of its decisions have taken away the right of states to legislate, particularly on criminal law, religious expression in public, gun law, abortion, marriage and race-based law. He argues that many of the justices are activists, making policy on their own rather than interpreting the Constitution. He finds this to be troubling since justices are unelected and appointed for life. He calls for two constitutional amendments to remedy this—one that would abolish lifetime appointments for judges, and another to give Congress the power to override Supreme Court decisions by a two-thirds majority from both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The next chapter, "The Federal Government Fiddles" argues that the federal government is too busy involving itself in the business of the states, causing it to abandon its Constitutionally-mandated responsibilities. He cites as evidence, the federal government's failure to secure the southern border with

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

and the issue of illegal immigration. He defends the right of states such as Arizona to pass

immigration laws Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

in the absence of the federal government. Further, he criticizes the lack of innovation in the military, and identifies the scrapping of missile defense and the space program as a chance for other nations to catch up. He expresses that stagnation and excess in the intelligence and counterterrorism communities causes the nation to be less safe. In the chapter, "Standing Athwart History", Perry makes the case that the Democratic Party is not the party of the people as it once was, and explains that he left the party in 1989 because it became the party of government. He argues that Democrats are increasing the size of the federal government as some Republicans help and others stand by and call for them to stop. He lists the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan, the 1994 Republican Revolution and the 2000 election of Bush as paramount moments for the conservative cause that were squandered, especially in the case of Bush. He compliments Bush for his leadership in the

War on Terror The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...

, but criticizes him for his economic policies. Perry sees promise for conservatives in the Tea Party movement to reverse the growth of the federal government. The next chapter, titled "The States do the Work of the People", Perry describes how the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exe ...

got in the way of states following Hurricane Katrina. He compares the tax burden of citizens to the federal government to that of the states, and finds that states use the revenue more efficiently. Moreover, he says that states have a right to "push back" against the federal government in court. He cites California's legalization of medicinal marijuana. He also defends his decision not to accept stimulus money in order to prevent the federal encroachment from the strings attached. In final chapter, "Retaking the Reins of Government", Perry begins with a detailed account of an idyllic world in 2026, on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of ...

. He describes it as a "world where people are free and government is minimalized, and as a result we live in prosperity according to our own hard work". In order to attain this world, Perry lists five goals: #"Repeal Obamacare" #"Stand Up and Lead" #"Sustain a National Dialogue About Limited, Constitutional Government" #"Elect Leaders Who Respect the Constitution and Hold Them Accountable" #"Adopt Certain Important Structural Reforms" The book concludes with an author's note from Perry, who states that the

Texas Public Policy Foundation The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) is a conservative think tank based in Austin, Texas. The organization was founded in 1989 by James R. Leininger, who sought intellectual support for his education reform ideas, including public school vou ...

will lead a national discussion on the issue of federalism and will receive the net proceeds of Perry from the sale of the book.

Reception

Before the book's release and ahead of the gubernatorial election, excerpts were placed on the website of Little, Brown and Company publishing. Democratic candidate Bill White used the excerpts to criticize Perry, particularly a passage where Perry compared Social Security to a

Ponzi scheme A Ponzi scheme (, ) is a form of fraud that lures investors and pays profits to earlier investors with funds from more recent investors. Named after Italian businessman Charles Ponzi, the scheme leads victims to believe that profits are comi ...

. After the book's release and Perry's victory in the election, he embarked on a nationwide tour to promote the book, appearing on such shows as ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...

'', ''

Fox and Friends ''Fox & Friends'' is an American daily morning news and talk program that airs on Fox News. It premiered on February 1, 1998, and is currently hosted by Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade on weekdays. Will Cain, Rachel Campos- ...

'', ''

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

'',

Glenn Beck Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. He is the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts, the parent company of his television and rad ...

's radio show and ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form fr ...

''. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described the book as "a Tea Party manifesto", and remarked that its content and Perry's promotional tour suggested that he had presidential ambitions for

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

. Perry stated in an interview with the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

that the book's anti-Washington sentiment was evidence that he was not running for president; however, he later declared his candidacy for the 2012 Republican nomination. Since declaring his candidacy for the 2012 Republican nomination, Perry has distanced himself from some of the claims made in ''Fed Up!''."Perry Is Suddenly Less 'Fed Up' Over Social Security"
Neil King Jr., ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', August 18, 2011 In particular, Perry attacked

social security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

in the book, suggesting it was

unconstitutional Constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applicable constitution. When l ...

and should be privatized. However, since joining the Presidential race, the communications director for the Perry camp, Ray Sullivan, has claimed that the book "is not meant to reflect the governor's current views" on social security reform and that Sullivan has "never heard" Perry "suggest the program was unconstitutional".

External links

Amazon.com's book reviews and description

Barnes & Noble's editorial reviews and overview

References

{{Rick Perry, state=collapsed 2010 non-fiction books Books about politics of the United States Rick Perry Campaign books by 2012 Republican presidential candidates