Gavin de Becker

But the point is, hey, folks, we're together for the next 10 hours.

How do we want to spend this time?

We want to spend it hating each other.

We want to get too drunk and bug the person next to you.

How do we want to do this?

A Fijian village is like that.

In fact, a Fijian village is fewer bathrooms than a 747 and fewer seats than a 747.

Fewer people, for God's sake, than what we get on an airplane every day.

And so I believe in small populations for governance.

And I believe in subsidiarity.

A word you probably don't know.

I only learned it about a year ago from a dear friend in Cape Town.

Subsidiarity means government at the most local possible level.

So if it's an issue regarding building permit, that ought to be city or county.

Nothing to do with Washington, D.C.

If it's an issue regarding interstate commerce, okay, maybe we need a little Washington, D.C., we need a little state involved.

But government at the most local possible level so that I can come over to your house, Stephen, and say, why did you not approve my building permit?

Mm-hmm.

Or so I can meet you in the restaurant where we see each other every morning, where our kids go to school together.

I don't believe centralized government works.