The Proper Role of Government

By Doug Walters

The Founding Fathers created a Constitution that would give specific and enumerated powers to a federal government while leaving the majority of the powers of governance to the state and local governments.

You and I have never met before. There is no way off the island and there are no radios, telephones or computers that could be used to communicate with people far away. Your only possessions are your clothes, your shoes, and your backpack with some water and rations. I also have a few provisions and the clothing I am wearing.

Try to think about what sort of emotions you might be experiencing in such a scenario. You are probably most concerned about your personal wellbeing. You do not know me, you do not trust me, you are in an unfamiliar environment, and your only thoughts are most likely centered on protecting yourself and your property from me.

In this moment, you are living in anarchy. There is no government. There is only you, some limited resources, and me.

Would it not be logical that your first step toward survival might be to communicate with me and create a system of rules whereby you are given at least some promise that I will not try to harm you? Perhaps your list of demands would resemble something like this:

1. We will not harm each other physically.

2. We will not steal each other's property.

3. We will not attempt to subdue or enslave each other.

4. We will be free to defend ourselves from any acts of aggression by the other party.

Here we have our very own government. We make a pact that we will not infringe upon each other's rights of life, liberty and property. And we promise that if either one of us attempts to break these rules we can defend ourselves even to the point of bloodshed.

How do you think we will fare as time goes by?

It sounds far too simplistic, but did you know that the very rules that we just created in our little scenario are the same as the rules that our forefathers created for this nation that we currently live in?

In the Declaration of Independence we read, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Life. Liberty. And the pursuit of happiness, which is the ability to acquire, possess and protect property. These three unalienable rights existed long before governments were first established, and it is government's sole purpose to protect these rights from infringement. In our own country, of course, we have far more than two citizens. In fact, we have enough citizens that we are able to support a democratic republic wherein we elect representatives to be our voices in the halls of government. We delegate certain powers to these representatives, and we expect them to act fairly and justly so that no one person or group of people is able to usurp power from any other individual.

This process of delegating power to our government is, in reality, a simple thing. Since the only power I have is to protect my life, liberty and property, that is the only power that I can delegate to my representatives. I do not have the power to take your life, enslave you, or steal your property therefore I cannot delegate that power to my representatives. It was with that idea in mind that the Founding Fathers created a Constitution that would give specific and enumerated powers to a federal government while leaving the majority of the powers of governance to the state and local governments. The flow of power is from the bottom up, as all power is inherent in the people.

When applied fairly and justly, our government might be the most perfect government ever established on this planet. If I break into your home and steal your television, you are able to call upon the government to seek some form of redress. If I make a contract with you and then fail to hold up my end of the deal, you are able to call upon the government. As long as no individual or group of persons is given preferential treatment, the system works.

Unfortunately, the way in which we administer our government today is far from perfect. We have become largely apathetic about the way in which our representatives govern and we have not kept as careful a watch upon them as we should have. Many government programs infringe upon our unalienable rights. We are heavily taxed and we receive little for the money we give to the government. Individuals and groups receive preferential treatment from lawmakers, judges and executives in return for votes or other kickbacks. Our privacy is invaded in the name of national security. All of these things go against the original intent of the Constitution and fair government in general.

Now, some might say that over the past 230 years we have become a very different nation from the one that our Founding Fathers lived in. We interact in real time with people from all around the world. People can do a lot of good with all the new technology we have, but they can also do an extraordinary amount of harm. For these reasons, many people feel that the Constitution is no longer applicable to our situation. But to those people, I say this:

Has your right to life changed?

Has your right to liberty changed?

Has your right to acquire, possess and protect property changed?

If the answer is no then the Constitution is still necessary. And if the Constitution is still necessary, we are obligated to protect it. We are obligated to reform our current system so that all unconstitutional laws and acts are repealed. We are obligated to become more active in our government by electing wise and just representatives who are not seeking personal gain or power. We are obligated to end the current trend of government plunder as was described by Bastiat almost 200 years ago. I hope that you are able to see that our highest law, our most powerful means of protection, is still very much needed today. And I hope you will stand with me to protect it from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

As Ezra Taft Benson (United States Secretary of Agriculture, 1953-1961) stated, "Unlike the political opportunist, the true statesman values principle above popularity, and works to create popularity for those political principles which are wise and just." This year, vote on principle...Constitutional principle.