I have wondered why humanity creates governments
anyway. All governments have the power
of coercion and force. Why would such
institutions be created? The Founders
asked such questions, and sought to create a system that would minimize the evils
of government and maximize the opportunities of citizens.
In the Declaration of Independence, the members of Congress
described the role and purpose of government.
They began with truths so old, so apparent, that they needed neither
explanation nor defense.
·
The Rights of men are given by the Creator.
·
The purpose of government is to secure these
rights under the consent of the governed.
Further, when a government works against these rights, “it
is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it.” And so the American Revolution was justified
on this basis. British rule had become
so intrusive, so oppressive, that it worked against the freedoms that
government should protect.
After a few years under the Articles of Confederation, the
United States decided that they needed a
more comprehensive system of government.
The U.S. Constitution with the Bill of Rights became the supreme law of
the land. The document calls for a
system of limited government with authority shared among three branches of
government. The Founders understood the
corrupting influence of power, and sought to keep government leaders
accountable. All the branches of
government would have built-in limitations.
The Founders realized that governments naturally grow, seizing more and more
power. This new government would have
only specified powers, and all other powers would belong to the States or the
people. Corruption would have its limits
as power had its limits.In the 237 years since John Hancock signed the Declaration, prevailing ideas about government may have changed. The “new” ideas give more power to government, and ignore the probability of corruption. Today’s popular culture would include the following as guiding principles for government.
·
Government provides basic necessities, as
needed.
·
Government respects all ideas and philosophies
as equally valid.
·
Government protects citizens from negative
consequences of their own irresponsible actions.
·
Government creates fairness.
These well-intentioned powers of government tend to work
against the very freedoms that governments should protect. In other words, this new philosophy is
actually the ancient philosophy of government as benefactor. In order to fulfill such a role, government
defines fairness, seizes assets and distributes them accordingly. Tragically, this philosophy makes government
sovereign, the entity that endows its citizens with specified, arbitrary
rights.
The new day of government is really a return to ancient,
oppressive, authoritarian forms of government rejected by our Founders.
It is time for our country to wake up and return to
freedom. God has endowed us with these
unalienable rights. Our Founders were
willing to fight for them.
