Politicians far too frequently discard moral compass and impose an ideology, often unrealistic and punitive, and often unrelated to the promises, so very soon abandoned, that candidates campaigned on. Politicians and governments further rely on the lack of citizens' awareness of incomprehensible regulations, thus rendering civic progress difficult and political accountability elusive.

Volume One of Surviving Government in a small town describes the powers vested in local government: its purpose, the nature of democratic interactions, the limits of local autonomy, and the workings of policy, operations, and taxation that governments in power use.