The way we answer this question determines what we allow government, and our public functionaries, to do. The answer to this question is what we hold up against campaign rhetoric and legislative bills. It is what we should be basing our calls for government action on.
So, what is the purpose of government?
Webster’s 1828 – American Dictionary of the English Language states:
“GOV’ERNMENT 4. The system of polity in a state; that form of fundamental rules and principles by which a nation or state is governed, or by which individual members of a body politic are to regulate their social actions; a constitution, either written or unwritten, by which the rights and duties of citizens and public officers are prescribed and defined; as a monarchial government or a republican government.
Thirteen governments thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without the pretence of miracle or mystery, are a great point gained in favor of the rights of mankind.”
Our founding Declaration of Independence states what the purpose of government is in America: “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 —That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men.”
The purpose of government is to secure our Individual Rights!
Do we live our lives in agreement with this Declaration? Do we demand that government secure Individual Rights, or do we demand that government violate Individual Rights to give us “safety and security?”
When politicians promise to give us things, or deliver the pork, are we upset and calling them on the carpet to correct them, or do we grab all the entitlements we can and demand more?
When public functionaries, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, are encouraged by ‘We the People’ to “legally” plunder us, very few will resist the temptation.
Americans must ask themselves whether they support defending Individual Rights; and they must be honest with themselves about their answer to that question and whether their words and actions line up with that answer.
What do you truly believe is the purpose of government? Beliefs lead to actions, and actions (and inactions) have natural consequences. Good intentions never negate the consequences of bad or poorly thought-out actions.
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