Does Our Government Still Work for Us Anymore?
The Consent of the Governed
There’s a phrase in the Declaration of Independence that I love because it feels like it gets to the root of what the relationship between the American people and the government is supposed to look like:
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, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly, all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Certainly, in a world where so many people have their own interests and goals, we are not going to have universal agreement about what the government is going to be doing. If we required it, nothing would ever get done. Yet, what the Founding Fathers who wrote that document were driving at is that the government is supposed to be a servant of the people. That’s supposed to be the purpose of government, but increasingly, in a variety of ways, our government has become like an occupying power that cares nothing about the American people. They care nothing about the “consent of the governed.”
There are many areas we can (and will discuss) related to this, but a perfect example is illegal immigration.
The American people don’t want open borders, which is why politicians of both parties claim to be against them every election, even though the Democrats never mean it. Texas has suffered greatly because of the federal government’s refusal to secure our border, but when they’ve tried to do it themselves, the federal government has sued them for simply wanting to safeguard their state by enforcing American laws that are already in place and being ignored by the Biden/Harris Administration:
The government simply does not care how much states like Texas suffer because they refuse to enforce the law. Similarly, do you remember the controversy over whether Haitians in Springfield, Ohio were eating the dogs and cats of local residents? The main takeaway the media seemed to have from that was that the evidence of it was lacking, so it was no big deal. However, here’s a question you don’t ever hear being asked, “How does dumping 20,000 Haitians in a city with 60,000 total residents make life better for the Americans that live there?” How would you feel if wherever you live had its population increased by a third in a relatively short period of time and those people were all from one of the most dysfunctional nations in the world? Where’s the “consent of the governed” in that? Where’s the evidence that the government cares about the American people at all?
We could ask the same question regarding COVID. To be fair, it was a frightening and confusing time, especially at first and it’s no surprise that some mistakes were made. But we also got to see the totalitarian impulses of the government come out during COVID as well. Local businesses were forced to close while well-connected major chains were left open. People were forced to wear masks in many areas long after everyone could clearly see that they didn’t work. Many people were fired for refusing to take COVID shots, even though today, you can be sure that almost none of those people regret not taking the shot. Kids should never have been given COVID shots, but they were. People who pointed out flaws in the government’s reasoning were mocked and censored, even though they often turned out to be proven right. We also had story after story about powerful politicians shutting down a city as they went out to do things they denied to regular citizens:
Did the government serve the people or did the government use its power to get special privileges and treat the people like their servants?
How many people want bums putting up tents on the sidewalk, junkies shooting up in the street and criminals released through a revolving door? If you pay taxes, how much value do you feel like you get for your money and how much of your money is frittered away on things you wouldn’t want at any price? How many people want their kids confused about their gender and shown gay pornography in public schools? How many people want the government to run up an unsustainable deficit year after year? What Americans are clamoring for a digital dollar that would allow the government to see every dollar you spend and lock your account or take your money with the push of a button?
There are all sorts of truly dangerous threats in the world: nuclear weapons, dirty bombs, biological weapons, and terrorists looking for ways to kill thousands of people, but the greatest threat to the American people is our own government. Our own unresponsive government, which seems to care nothing about serving the American people, could easily break our country with its incompetence or with a surge toward despotism. It brings to mind a quote by Ayn Rand:
That’s not how it’s supposed to be. You’re not supposed to be afraid of your government. You’re not supposed to feel like an involuntary cog in a government wheel. You’re not supposed to worry that your own government is going to bankrupt the country, rig elections or trying to import tens of millions of illegals to change the voter base. The purpose of the government is supposed to be to serve the interests of the American people, but it just doesn’t do that very well anymore.
Very well said, and sadly true. No. The government of the US hasn't worked for us for many many years, carving out the 4 years DJT worked for us, burdened and defied every step of the way by the leeches ensconced within the deep recesses of the swamp. It's nothing but a feed trough for most politicians.
I want, as do all of us who treasure self-reliance and self-direction, a tiny government that leaves me the hell alone, stops infringing on my safety and well-being. minds it's own business and stays out of the business of other countries. Most of all I want a government that employs men of virtue and, no offense to women, but they need to stay home and mind their families. I don't need a damned nanny!