First, sorry for the great loss of Prof Becker. 1. The current system has a feedback loop. During the Great Depression voter turnout was high. If the electorate starts to share the views that our system doesn't work, it will turn out and vote for people with extremist views to change the current system. 2. Hobbes: anarchy is awful. Locke: tyranny is pretty bad too. 20th century provides us with reminders of efficient regime we don't desire to emulate. 3. No data suggests any assumptions in this piece are true. People are risking death and prison to come to U.S. illegally. When things really suck, emigration will exceed immigration. The very numbers of bureaucrats and technology changes cited allows Fed. govt. to do much more across a wide territory and large populace. State and local governments are coopted with cash: eg., pass state laws creating state sex offender registries or drunk driving laws or lose fed dollars. If anything, there is way too much fed.power these days, not way too little. 4. Creating a presidential dictator will destroy the Republic. Judge, please reread Cicero. Or, if you're feeling lazy, watch star wars (the last film made) The efficiencies you seek will kill the goose lays the eggs.