“GOVERNMENT IS NOT REASON, IT IS NOT ELOQUENCE, IT IS FORCE, LIKE FIRE IT IS A DANGEROUS SERVANT, AND A FEARFUL MASTER.” George Washington
This quote is from George Washington, who was uniquely qualified to state the truth about what Government truly is at its core. He fought for the British in the French and Indian War. He signed the Declaration of Independence which spelled out abuses of power that the founders were declaring their independence from. He was the commander of the Colonial army during the Revolutionary War. He was at the Constitutional Convention that set up our Constitutional Republic which the founders thought would give individuals, freedom from government force. He was the first President of the United States, a position he could have held for life. But he walked away from power after two terms, setting a precedent followed by all Presidents, until FDR thought he was more important than “the indispensable man”.
The wisdom of our founders in general, and George Washington in particular, when it came to understanding what government was and what it could and would become unless individuals remained “eternally vigilant”, can’t be questioned. There life experiences gave them a deeper understanding about this subject than any individual could glean from reading and studying their writings. As great as their writing skills were, they probably couldn’t completely communicate in writing their total understanding on the subject of government force.
“FEW MEN HAVE VIRTUE TO WITHSTAND THE HIGHEST BIDDER.” – George Washington.
This is another quote from George Washington which reveals a keen insight into the nature of man. This insight goes hand in hand with his knowledge of what Government truly is. Few if any man can be trusted with the reigns of power. And many times the highest bidder is not an outsider, but the person himself.
“THE TWO ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE ARE CRIMINALS AND GOVERNMENT, SO LET US TIE THE SECOND DOWN WITH THE CHAINS OF THE CONSTITUTION SO THE SECOND WILL NOT BECOME THE LEGALIZED VERSION OF THE FIRST.” – Thomas Jefferson.
Our founders not only understood that virtuous men would be tempted by the highest bidder, they knew that the worst could and would get to the top. This is why they wanted a limit on the power of government so that there would be a limit on the damage government “criminals” could do to individuals while in a position of power.
“ETERNAL VIGILANCE IS THE PRICE OF LIBERTY“ – Attributed to Thomas Jefferson.
We are responsible for our present state of big abusive Government. We haven’t been eternally vigilant in keeping the chains of the constitution firmly tied around its neck. Trying to get the chain back around the neck of government is going to take a lot of time and effort. Are we willing to do this now, or are most of us still to comfortable and ignorant to act. The longer we put this off the more costly it will be.
WISCONSIN D.A. USES LAW TO PUNISH OPPONENTS
YOU MUST READ this article titled, Wisconsin’s Shame: “I Thought It Was A Home Invasion”, at nationalreview.com. It is about the abuse of power by Milwaukee County district attorney John Chisholm. He used what are called John Doe investigations, in a clear abuse of power, to harass people who were supporters of Governor Scott Walker. Chisholm was on the side of the unions and government employees. His wife was a teachers union shop steward and wasn’t happy about the union reforms passed under Walker. Chisholm felt it “was his duty to stop them”. He illegally used the power of Government to fight political fights. Here is an excerpt from the article.
“For dozens of conservatives, the years since Scott Walker’s first election as governor of Wisconsin transformed the state – known for pro-football championships, good cheese, and a population with a reputation for being unfailingly polite – into a place where conservatives have faced early morning raids, multi-year secretive criminal investigations, slanderous and selective leaks to sympathetic media, and intrusive electronic snooping. Yes, Wisconsin, the cradle of the progressive movement and home of the “Wisconsin idea” – the marriage of state governments and state universities to govern through technocratic reform – was giving birth to a new progressive idea, the use of law enforcement as a political instrument, as a weapon to attempt to undo election results, shame opponents and ruin lives.”
IRS TARGETS OPPONENTS OF BIG GOVERNMENT
This is what the IRS targeting to tea party and liberty minded groups was all about. Using the force of Government to intimidate political opposition into ceding ground. Going through the legal process when falsely charged, or going through the process of complying with government regulations, is too high of a price for most people. The entrenched government status quo will use all their power, legally or illegally, to win. And we reach a point where the process itself becomes a punishment for getting involved.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE
Power is being abused at every level of government. We have shown many videos on this sight showing this abuse. Watch the video from this article, Caught On Tape: Cop Grabs, Smashes, Phone Of Women Recording Him, at zerohedge.com. You are allowed to film the police when they are on the job with this stipulation, you can’t interfere with their work. Some cops try to intimidate people from recording their activity by stating , “you are interfering with our work”, but they can’t take away your phone or delete your recording. I know it doesn’t say anything about smashing the phone, but isn’t that a violent attempt to delete the recording, or is it the destruction of property, or both.
This short video from Learn Liberty, gives us a humorous insight into how a persons thought process changes when he gets a chance to wield power.
CONCLUSION
In one of my recent articles titles, As The Number Of Laws Increase, Individual Freedom Decreases, we talk about how the increase in the amount of laws gives Government officials the ability to prosecute literally anyone for violating some obscure law. The process of defending yourself is your punishment, but the government official usually pays no cost for abusing his power. We have to roll back big abusive government because, as I’ve written previously, Individual Liberty Is The Least Contentious Way Of Settling Differences.
Related Article – The Break Down Of The Rule Of Law, at austrianaddict.com.
Related Article – The Result Of The Break Down Of The Rule Of Law, at austrianaddict.com.
AUSTRIAN ECONOMICS ADDICT 