Soft despotism in the U.S.?

If you do nothing else today, watch these short interviews with Hillsdale College professor Paul Rahe about his book "Soft Despotism, Democracy’s Drift". Rahe recalls America's unique historical embrace of individual liberty and do-it-yourself initiative, then discusses how that spirit has eroded over time. One point he makes is how the federal and state governments have dangled grants in front of local governments to force them to do certain things. As someone who's covered local government in Georgia for 12 years, I can tell you he's exactly right. Rather than being self-governing entities, our cities, counties and school boards have largely become dependent, obedient children trying to jump through the right hoops to earn the favor of Uncle Sam. It's depressing, but Rahe says Obama's overreach gives Americans a chance to re-think our drift toward despotism, or soft tyranny.