Opinion: Government not worth trade-off

Do you believe you need to be governed? I mean you, as an individual. If you didn’t feel like government was watching over your shoulder all the time, would you steal, kidnap, or murder? I’m betting you wouldn’t. Neither would I.

If you’re saying you would commit crimes if not for government, I’m guessing you commit crimes anyway. By “crimes” I’m not talking about the counterfeit “crimes” that are only called crimes because government made up an arbitrary rule that says so. I’m speaking of acts that have a specific individual victim whose life, liberty, or property has been violated in some concrete way.

I doubt many in my audience would ever do anything actually criminal. People who read these columns simply aren’t the sort. You govern yourselves perfectly well.

So, you probably don’t believe you need to be governed. I certainly don’t. It would be a very defeatist attitude to take. Nor do I want you governed on my behalf. I’m not helpless.

I’m glad we settled that.

Perhaps, like most people who still believe political government is necessary, you think you’re not the problem; it’s all those other people out there who need to be governed. People who won’t, or can’t, govern themselves.

Yes, there are people among us who violate others. Some of them choose this as a lifestyle; it’s habitual. As you may have noticed, they don’t stop committing crimes simply because government exists to punish them. Just like you wouldn’t become a criminal if government went away.

Government makes it safer for the actual criminals to continue a life of crime. It protects criminals by enforcing rules against defending yourself and your property from them. Crime is largely a government-created problem. or at least a problem government doesn’t want solved.

Maybe you can see that you don’t need to be governed and criminals can’t be governed, but you imagine you still need government in your life for some reason. Do you need government in your marriage? Do you believe there are things only government can give you that you couldn’t get on your own? Things only someone with the power to steal can hand out, like a powerful, crooked Santa Claus. There’s nothing I want bad enough that I’m willing to have government steal it from you to give it to me.

I’m not willing to trade what’s right for what’s expedient. Do you really believe it’s worth the trade-off?

Farwell’s Kent McManigal champions liberty. Contact him at: 

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