One would think that with about 6,000 years of recorded history to draw upon, someone, somewhere, would have written down the various scams governments have used throughout those ages to grow themselves and diminish their citizens.
But maybe not. Current events seem to conspire with history to make us think, "but this time it will be different!"
Alas, it never is. Government, once instituted, seems to do only one thing. It gets bigger. When times are good, government grows faster. When times are bad, government grows slower.
When Democrats are elected, government grows bigger. When Republicans are elected, government grows bigger.
When the nation is at peace, government grows. When the nation goes to war, government grows.
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Whenever we breathe, it seems, government grows.
But why?
It always makes me wonder how the generation before us got along without all the government we have today. And the generation before them – how did they make do without as much government as their children ended up with? And the one before them … and before them … and before that one … If all those generations got along without all that government, why do we need it?
Are the streets safer, now that we have more government than our parents and grandparents did?
Are children more polite and better educated than we were?
Is there more economic opportunity for children today to gain the skills needed in the workplace or in running a business?
Are we more healthy? Wealthy? Wise? (Please do keep in mind that a dollar in your pocket today is worth the same as 2 cents before the government began "helping" to preserve the buck's purchasing power.)
Heck, are the streets even in better repair than they were when our parents and grandparents were driving the family on vacation on all those new interstate highways that were being built?
"Well, the world is more complex now, you dunderhead." Well, it sure is. And a big part of that complexity is all the regulations promulgated by that ever-growing army of government "promulgators" here to help us. And God help the person stumbling around in a swamp full of alligators trying to drain the swamp, who inadvertently trips over one of those newly promulgated babies. You will wish you'd just drowned or been eaten by the alligators and had it over with instead!
And speaking of promulgations, why is it that when times are at their very worst, government grows at its very fastest? Bush the younger, as he was skating out of the White House at the end of his second term, just couldn't leave without spending that three-quarters of a trillion dollars we didn't have. And not to be outdone, the incoming caretaker spent another seven-and-a-quarter trillion during his time there. And he's not gone yet!
At some point, the question has to be asked: Just how much government does one person need to survive?
All of this is done, of course, to "help" us. But 6,000 years of recorded human history plainly shows it never will achieve that goal. The Founding Fathers studied this and wisely limited the federal government by limiting its income to a tariff on imported goods. State governments they left to compete with one another for commerce, thereby limiting state government growth potential.
Government, no matter how well-intentioned, how sweet-smelling, good looking and full of smiles and promises it is, always metastasizes into an ugly cancer that grows uncontrollably until the host is choked off and dies. It seems simple enough: Money spent on government can't be spent on something else. So the more government you have, the less of anything else there is. Pretty soon … well, you get the picture. And it's not just money; it's freedom, and eventually life. You become a slave to the government. And when you are no longer useful for adding to the coffers, well, it's off to the coffin.
The Native Americans, who were here well before us, seemed to manage with just a few elders who met over dinner now and then, booted out troublemakers and adjudicated disputes. I guess if nothing else we've showed them how to do it, huh?
"Armageddon Story: Reconnaissance" – an advance look at where runaway government is going.
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