What's wrong with government? Some people seem to think the problem with government is directly related to which political party is in control. Thus, in this country, the Republicans blame the Democrats and the Democrats blame the Republicans for all the country's woes. Many in minor parties sit back and blame the two major political parties for the nation's troubles.
Some take the issue a step further and look at the political form of government and believe that the world's problems could be solved if only everybody had a particular form of government. Thus, today, democracy as a form of government is being proclaimed as gospel for a troubled world. I'm sorry to shatter anyone's faith in democracy, but it doesn't work for everybody. The world is full of examples.
Sad to say, the trouble with government goes far deeper than political parties or political forms. The problem is in man himself! Mankind is flawed. If we weren't flawed, there would really be no need for human government. We would all willingly do what is good and right and refrain from evil. But we are flawed and people think of themselves and their wants and desires first.
Why do you think capitalism works? It is built upon the fact that people are by nature selfish, greedy, willing to work hard for themselves and willing to buy and spend on themselves.
Yes, a monarchy or dictatorship could be a good form of government -- and less expensive too -- if only the monarch or dictator were good and wise and ruled for the good of his subjects. The problem is that monarchs and dictators, like all the rest of us, think of themselves and of their own desires, goals and ambitions first. As a result, their subjects usually suffer.
The major flaw in socialism, fascism and communism too, is in people. People in power abuse their power, as well as their people, for their own selfish goals and ambitions. And those not in positions of power often selfishly take advantage of the system or are unwilling to work for the good of their nation or people.
A democratic form of government can be good as long as the people choosing their leaders and voting on issues are good and moral; but when the people's morality wanes, so do the values of their government. Instead of electing leaders who will uphold what is good and right and punish those who do wrong, immoral people elect immoral leaders who lead the nation on the path of ruin.
And so, what's wrong with government? Well, it's not so much the political party in power or even the political form of government. It's people. The problem with government is the flawed human nature of those in power and the flawed human nature of the people who put them there. And, though many hate to admit it, people are without the ability to change their own nature. History ought to teach us that; for in the past 6,000 years of recorded history, no human government has been without corruption or fault. Every generation has been plagued by wars and political struggles caused by human corruption.
Yet, government is needed to restrain our own evil propensity. Without government, we would have utter chaos and lawlessness and no safety or protection. We need government, but even with good government, we will have no utopia on earth -- no crime-free, war-free, poverty-free society! With human government there will always be trouble, simply because it is human!
Our own government is troubled by continual scandals. Legislation is passed for political favors. Laws and judicial rulings are morally corrupt. And there is outcry against any who would stand in the breach.
The founding fathers of this nation knew well that the major flaw in human government is in human nature itself. That is why safeguards and checks and balances were built into the Constitution to protect against such things as tyranny, usurpation of power and mob rule. That is why we are a republic rather than a pure democracy.
Our founding fathers also made amply clear in their writings that a republic was dependent upon the religious and moral values of the people and could not continue to stand without them.
And their warnings are proving to be all too true. As our people turn further and further from the religious and moral views once held, so goes our nation. We kill the unborn but are hesitant to punish murderers. We make the dissolution of marriage a trivial thing and attempt to make same-sex marriages legal and binding. We teach evolution in our schools but act shocked when our children live like animals. We encourage good education for our young people but try to fund it with legalized gambling. We say we don't want higher taxes, but we call upon government to meet our every need. We try to tell the rest of the world how to govern themselves and handle their affairs, but we seem to be failing to handle our own.
It's sad to watch our people vote for candidates who do not uphold the moral values upon which this nation was built. How can people who claim to hold certain moral views turn around and support a political party and political candidates who oppose those very same views? Yet, we see it every day. It makes no sense at all!
If our people don't stop and consider the direction of this nation and begin to stand up in both voice and vote for what is good and right, our government -- even though it is a democracy -- won't be any better than a bad dictatorship or monarchy, except, perhaps, that our taxes will be higher.
Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 05/06/2015