jacassidy2 Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 (edited) Watching the news over the last several decades should prove something about the risk in giving government personnel tasks beyond the primary function of protecting citizens from people who initiate force and fraud. The examples I am familiar with in the US can be added to buy those in other mixed economy democracies, and is certainly supported by the Communist experiments in the 20th century. When a government gains too much power, it attracts bullies to politics. Some are bullies before their government service, and those who are not, learn to be bullies. The ethics of altruism masks the fact that these people are bullies - "we're just trying to help those who are at a disadvantage." But motivations to initiate force don't change the nature of the morality of the act. There are the many examples of criminal behavior in our government representatives. But worse, is the general acceptance of behavior that is clearly not consistent with representative government - lobbyist connections, questionable expense accounts, personal use of election funds, exemption from laws passed by the legislative body, wealth accumulation sourced solely on elected status, election funds from regulated entities, etc., etc. It's no different than the social environment present during the Middle Ages in Europe - the institutions are different, the motivations may be less clear, the result is the same. When a community decides to transfer the right to legally use force to a representative government, in an attempt to be civilized by not allowing individual violence, it is a positive. When that same community decides it would be easier to attain other shared goals (charity, safety, etc.) thru the same representative organization, they miss the error. When you give a community elected government the right to use force, you can't allow them any other function then the protection of citizens from those who use force. If you do, you will attract the bullies. You think not? Watch the news and study history. Edited August 2, 2015 by jacassidy2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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