There are very few problems facing America that are actually hard to solve. However, our system's so-called strengths, not least "civil society" and the independent judiciary, are in the way of common sense solutions. If we want policies that most Americans support, such as the enforcement of immigration laws and the long-term imprisonment or execution of violent criminals, we will need to start breaking some rules. The thing standing in the way of power for normal people are the norms themselves.