Trust in government?

Lloyd Corricelli was turned down for credit in 1999.

When he inquired as to the reason, he was told he had outstanding liens.

He got a copy of his credit report and learned that the state of Arkansas had placed liens for unpaid state taxes in 1993 and 1994.

During those years, Corricelli was serving his country on active duty with the Air Force and a resident of New Hampshire.

He contacted the Arkansas Department of Revenue and learned that the state had audited federal returns for those years and concluded that he owed state taxes. Unable to find Corricelli, who later moved to Florida, the state simply went to court and got a judgment against him for close to $10,000.

Corricelli explained that as an active-duty military man and a resident of New Hampshire, he was not required to pay Arkansas state taxes.

He asked why the state had not done due diligence in determining his status. Had the state checked the entire federal return for his occupation, his status would have been clear – as would his address and contact information.

After providing the state with proof in the form of release orders from the military, Arkansas dropped the liens.

But more than two years later, those liens remain on his credit report. Despite his best efforts to clear the record, he has paid a price in rejections for consumer credit.

Arkansas insists the federal government will not cooperate with its officials. He has written letters to no avail.

Do I tell you this sad little story because it is unusual? Not at all. We all know about mini-horror stories of this kind involving unaccountable, unresponsive government bureaucracies. I tell you this story, instead, to remind you – my dear fellow Americans – that this sort of thing is routine in our country today. It’s par for the course. It’s an everyday occurrence. It’s the norm.

So why are Americans so trusting of government? Why do they continue to believe that government can and will serve as their protector against consumer fraud? Why are they willing to trust their futures and the futures of their children to the long arm of Big Government?

I continue to be amazed by the sheer number of Americans who seem all-too willing to give up freedom for the phony security of dependence on government.

Every day I hear from them.

Yet, every day I hear from people like Corricelli, too.

Why is there disconnect between the actual experience of people with government and their willingness to place their fate in the hands of government?

The answer is, I believe, people see snafus like the one discussed above as exceptional. They do not doubt the motives of government. They do not suspect government of being greedy and avaricious. They do not think the state of Arkansas, in this case, systematically victimized service people with such con games.

But they would suspect the motives of a business that did something like this.

Americans need to understand that government is, has been and always will be the gravest threat to freedom we face. Yes, I worry about big corporations getting personal information about me, but not nearly as much as I fear what government might some day do with the voluminous information it requires me to provide.

I do believe government is quite capable of greed and avarice. It’s a hungry, ever-growing monster that must be fed. If it takes deception to do it, it will be done. It’s time for Americans to grasp the simple concept that “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Only government ever comes close to having absolute power over our lives.

That’s why it’s time to dramatically downsize government. It’s time to cut it way down to size. It’s time to chop it up. It’s time to destroy most of the bureaucracies it has created. It’s time to defang it. It’s time to declaw it. It’s time to make it accountable again. It’s time to bring it in line with the Constitution. It’s time to empower individuals, not government.

It’s time to recognize that government is not your friend.