Countless books have been written about John F. Kennedy. This is the first, however, to assert that his death had a far more negative impact on the United States than is common believed.

The premise is based on the following:

1. Kennedy was a scholar, he spent his early life studying history and government. He came to understand something that subsequent presidents ignored: The United States will flourish only when its political leaders govern according to the principles established by the Founders. They gave us a democratic republic, a system in which the people and their elected representatives have a mandate to work together to promote the common good.

2. During his brief presidency, Kennedy urged the people to respect government and to embrace their civic responsibility to participate in its affairs. Thus, he created a modern day version of the system given to us by the Founders. He knew how this country must be governed if it is to succeed. This was his genius.

3. Some of the presidents who came after Kennedy reversed his enlightened approach to the presidency, with disastrous results for the country. Ronald Reagan did something no president should ever do, he urged the nation to fear and distrust government. Anti-government polices will never work in a republic. Today, political leaders ignore the principles Kennedy nourished in pursuit of their own ideological objectives, and the needs of the people have gone unaddressed.