Jump to content
Objectivism Online Forum

Why does government grow?

Rate this topic


daniel

Recommended Posts

The ability to tax before you get your paycheck (A World War Two era invention) did have something to do with it.

That and the income tax in general. Also, federal control of the banking and monetary system. This allows deficit as well as the ability to pay the interest with the income tax.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the ultimate answer is that a majoirty of the population wants government to grow. They may not want it to grow in all areas, but most everyone has an area where they wish it would.

Even the people that say they want smaller government are often reluctant to actually name specific programs or agencies (of any significant size) to be cut.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the ultimate answer is that a majoirty of the population wants government to grow. They may not want it to grow in all areas, but most everyone has an area where they wish it would.

Even the people that say they want smaller government are often reluctant to actually name specific programs or agencies (of any significant size) to be cut.

Many individuals are actually even more extreme than this. Many perceive that our country and its residents will be inundated by utter disaster if we do not grow our government. This underlies much of the debates over Social Security, Healthcare, Education, Technology and the like. Both Republicans and Democrats argue over how to expand the government. To do anything less is essentially political suicide in the present political setting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Government, as measured by expenditure and legislation, has grown greatly over the past hundred years in a great number of countries. What explains this?

This question can be analyzed from two perspectives:

First, given the dominant philosophy of this country, what kind of social system will we set up?

Second, given our social system, what kind of behavior does it encourage?

The dominant philosophy of this country is altruism-collectivism. This philosophy has gradually crushed our egoist-individualist roots, and changed America from a laizzes-faire republic to a welfare-democracy. (For the reasons for this, read the Ominous Parallels.)

The dominant features of a democracy is a political elite that is beholden to the electorate, and a lack of a constitutional restraints (one leads to the other). The need to win elections creates the incentive to redistribute wealth and power in exchange for votes, and ultimately, an escalating state of civil war, which uses elections to rob and pillage various constituencies.

Self serving pen pushers? Lobbyists? Rising wealth? Public demand? War?

Except for rising wealth, all these factors are important aspects of democratic government. Democracies create and feed off the bureaucracies beholden to constituent interests, and welfare-warfare is their most powerful means of growth. Rising wealth simply increases the stockpile of loot that can be redistributed.

Edited by GreedyCapitalist
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

This reminds me of one of Aesop's fables:

A quarrel had arisen between the Horse and the Stag, so the Horse came to a Hunter to ask his help to take revenge on the Stag. The Hunter agreed, but said: "If you desire to conquer the Stag, you must permit me to place this piece of iron between your jaws, so that I may guide you with these reins, and allow this saddle to be placed upon your back so that I may keep steady upon you as we follow after the enemy." The Horse agreed to the conditions, and the Hunter soon saddled and bridled him. Then with the aid of the Hunter the Horse soon overcame the Stag, and said to the Hunter: "Now, get off, and remove those things from my mouth and back."

"Not so fast, friend," said the Hunter. "I have now got you under bit and spur, and prefer to keep you as you are at present."

If you allow men to use you for your own purposes, they will use you for theirs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...