The Case for Limited Government
August 26, 2009 by Standing on Truth
Filed under Politics
I just received a membership to The Heritage Foundation for my birthday. The Heritage Foundation, “founded in 1973, is a research and educational institute–a think tank–whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.”
As I was browsing through their website, digesting what seems like volumes of research and information on a wide variety of topics, I came across this article, of which I am only giving a few blurbs but you are more than welcome to read it in its entirety here. It is about what role government should play in the life of American citizens. It is brilliantly written and it clearly articulates some things that we, as a country, are in grave danger of losing sight of forever. I encourage you to read it. And now, with this new membership, there is a small chance I will be tempted to simply regurgitate information from The Heritage Foundation on a daily basis (because it is THAT good), and although there are much worse things that I could do, I will resist that urge. . .for now.
This is taken from the article called “Government for the Good of the People: Ten Questions about Freedom, Virtue, and the Role of Government”
4. Does big government pose moral problems? When government oversteps its bounds and begins to assume more authority, it weakens other important social institutions, including those, like the family and religious congregations, that are particularly capable of encouraging moral virtue among citizens. Big-government programs and policies also tend to confuse the lines between citizen responsibility and government responsibility. As a result, they erode our understanding of the ethical obligations we have to one another—especially in regard to issues such as poverty and economic justice—and encourage us to assume and to expect that government will provide for our neighbors’ needs.
7. How does big government weaken smaller, virtue-producing communities? As government claims responsibility for more tasks, it absorbs the allegiance that citizens once placed in other relationships and forms of association. When the federal government assumes more responsibility for fulfilling the moral obligations among citizens, it tends to undermine the perceived significance and authority of local institutions and communities.
This encourages citizens, instead of looking to their families, churches, or local communities for guidance and assistance, to depend on the government for education, welfare, and various other services. As individuals begin to look more consistently to the government for support, the institutions that are able to generate virtues like trust and responsibility begin to lose their sway in the community. Excessive bureaucratic centralization thus sets in motion a dangerous cycle of dependence and social decay.
The power of government carries significant moral implications. The amount of responsibility yielded to or claimed by government can shape attitudes, motivations, expectations, and even the terms of public debate.
The article concludes with these words: “Government can also influence the cultivation of character and the strength of social bonds by protecting institutions that help to encourage virtue in society, such as the family or religious congregations, against unjust interference from other institutions, including the state. In other words, there is a strong moral case to be made for limited government authority.”
So I ask, in which direction are we headed today–toward a limited government or a rapidly expanding one?
