Is Government Good?

[bill still]

So often today you see that folks have just lost confidence in their government. They even question if there is any way government can be good.

It’s a legitimate question. Can government ever do anything right? Unfortunately, an increasingly large segment of the population thinks it can’t. Libertarians sometimes go too far in their questioning the very legitimacy of any government. This trend can become dangerous and must be reversed lest we fall into anarchy and a return to serfdom. The right answer is the one the Founding Fathers pondered – a balancing act – what powers should governments be granted?

The Bible says government is established by God as the only restraint to evil (Romans 13), and therefore we should generally obey it and fund it with our taxes.

But, are there exceptions to this rule? Of course, when government becomes ruled by plutocracy, instead of the will of a significant majority of the governed, then no real government exists, and evil is allowed to reign unfettered. We are nearing this condition today in both the USA and the UK.

This question was addressed by one of the authors of the U.S. Constitution, Gouverneur Morris:

“The rich will strive to establish their dominion and enslave the rest. They always did. They always will.... They will have the same effect here as elsewhere, if we do not, by [the power of] government, keep them in their proper spheres.â€

So this is NOT an anti-rich, redistribute the wealth rant. I aspire to be rich. I’ve been a workingman all my life. Now, at age 61, I hope the totality of my experiences and accumulated skill will surface on the marketplace and bring me a handsome living. I admit it.

But if I use my new-found wealth to essentially destroy government and replace it with my autocratic will by buying off the media so my evil deeds go unaccountable, then I’ve established a plutocracy and effectively killed government. Interestingly, my strategy in such a scenario would be to disguise, for as long as possible, the fact that I’d taken over government, and I think that is what is going on right now.

The question is, what to do about it today. Any sort of violent revolution is, of course, out of the question. That would only strengthen the hand of the existing “governmentâ€. No, we, through our collective laxity, have allowed this to happen to ourselves. Hundreds of years of struggle in England allowed good government to develop. Let’s not give it up so quickly. We must make the commitment to take our government back.

The tools of government – freely elected legislatures – guaranteed rights – a judicial system to resolve disputes – are still in place. All we have to do is to understand the cause and move in a single direction towards the solution, just as the field mice did in “The Wizard of Oz†to move the giant lion out of the poppy field. Us little people can do anything if we move in unison. We can take back government and restore it to its proper place – protecting all citizens equally.

Naturally, THE most important element of this rightful restoration of government is the restoration of the medium of exchange. This is THE most important power of government. Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power “To borrow Money on the credit of the United States.†This is the primary defect in the U.S. Constitution. If governments were not allowed to borrow, I think the rest of the problems with the economy would heal. For example, later in that same section, the U.S. Constitution allows Congress to “coin Money, regulate the Value thereof….†In other words, if the government could not borrow its money into existence, then it would have to issue it debt free.

And, in fact, this is what 99% of the population of all nations vaguely believe is going on in their own countries today – but such is not the case. All nations borrow their money into existence, instead of simply issuing it at no debt. To maintain the ruse, the privately owned central banks call themselves “The Bank of England†of the “Federal Reserve System†to make people think their national money is issued by their respective governments.

President Abraham Lincoln addressed this directly:

“The Government should create, issue, and circulate all the currency and credit needed to satisfy the spending power of the Government and the buying power of consumers. . .

“The privilege of creating and issuing money is not only the supreme prerogative of Government, but it is the Government’s greatest creative opportunity. . .

“By the adoption of these principles the taxpayers will be saved immense sums of interest.

“The financing of all public enterprises will become matters of practical administration. Money will cease to be master and become the servant of humanity.â€

Such a restoration of government will not kill off private banking or lending. No, a competitive market for private lending must be encouraged. It’s the private risk-taking capital market that is the economic engine of progress. The difference is that banks should only get to lend money they actually have under this new model. That’s fair. That’s the rule that the rest of us have to abide by.

Don’t worry. Your employer will still pay you from his bank account. You will deposit his check in your own private bank account. You will still go to your private bank to borrow money to pay for the purchase of a home. Yes, there will be less flexibility in the money system. Banks just cannot create money out of thin air, but the system will quickly rebalance, firmly fixed upon the principle of soundness because the quantity will now be controlled – varying only with population.

In other words, throw a pot of money into the game and let the players fight over their portion – a totally incentive driven enterprise. This is different from what we have now, which is a game where the bankers always win and the rest of us – and our government -- always lose.

If I were a plutocrat, I’d be sponsoring any voice that would say government is now a hopeless proposition. In reality, right government is our ONLY hope!

[Bloo Loo]

i dont think its a new phenomenon...Guy Fawkes tried to get rid of government quite a while ago.

[bill still]

I don't want to get rid of it. We all should be working to restore it.

It's not a revolution that's needed; it's a restoration.

i dont think its a new phenomenon...Guy Fawkes tried to get rid of government quite a while ago.

[Guest Parry aka GOD]

Did you meet 'Injin' yet?

[Guest Parry aka GOD]

i dont think its a new phenomenon...Guy Fawkes tried to get rid of government quite a while ago.

Guy Fawkes. The only bloke to walk through the Houses of Parliament with honest intentions.

[InternationalRockSuperstar]

Is Government Good?

no, stealing people's money and ordering them around under threats of violence is evil.

see sig.

[Bloo Loo]

democracy doesnt appear to be good for economies.

politicians, needing votes, will tend to give pledges or gifts to collect votes... a new park, a better police force, more schools...all costs money and the parties must outbid each other.

no more..."youve never had it so good" its " we are going to spend spend spend".

bad bad bad.

[bill still]

Yes, I've only discovered this Forum a week ago. He's been in on the discussions.

Did you meet 'Injin' yet?

[weebag]

no, stealing people's money and ordering them around under threats of violence is evil.

see sig.

You and Injin are one and the same are you not?

[bill still]

Hmmm, yes, that's right.

no, stealing people's money and ordering them around under threats of violence is evil.

see sig.

[bill still]

Nope. I'm a different guy. I'm in the US.

You and Injin are one and the same are you not?

[sammysnake]

As a tax raising establishment, I think there's very good reasons to keep government.

Labour though, have proved society has no stomach an all encompassing central government.

The true undemocratic way Brown has clinged to power is also reflective at just how out of touch large governments can become

[bill still]

That's so sad. Democracy or democratic republics are our ONLY hope. The alternative is plutocracy in any of its many guises and ultimately a return to serfdom. So many people have given their lives to give us democracy.

democracy doesnt appear to be good for economies.

politicians, needing votes, will tend to give pledges or gifts to collect votes... a new park, a better police force, more schools...all costs money and the parties must outbid each other.

no more..."youve never had it so good" its " we are going to spend spend spend".

bad bad bad.

[bill still]

Sounds right, though I don't know the current British political situation.

As a tax raising establishment, I think there's very good reasons to keep government.

Labour though, have proved society has no stomach an all encompassing central government.

The true undemocratic way Brown has clinged to power is also reflective at just how out of touch large governments can become

[Bloo Loo]

That's so sad. Democracy or democratic republics are our ONLY hope. The alternative is plutocracy in any of its many guises and ultimately a return to serfdom. So many people have given their lives to give us democracy.

yep, dont know how you overcome the need to promise thing though.

our governments are notorious for engineering a "better" phase to the economy and time elections to suit. governments NEVER get re-elected if the economy is bad.

so they have to fix it...that entails spending. course the payback is eventually a credit crunch of impossible proportions.

[Guest UK Debt Slave]

I don't want to get rid of it. We all should be working to restore it.

It's not a revolution that's needed; it's a restoration.

In America, you have The Constitution.

Go back to it. It's all you need. It is one of the greatest things ever written

In the UK, we don't have a written constitution and the ruling elite would have trampled it to death years ago anyway.

At least you have something in writing in the USA. People still pay attention to it even if the political elite despise the freedom it gives the people.

The British ruling class has been around for a long time and they still rule the world via their proxy, the City of London. Nothing has changed.

We are the one nation in the world that NEEDS a revolution more than any other. The French had theirs. The Americans have too. The British tried when Guy Fawkes tried unsuccessfully to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

I want revolution in the UK. I want to see the politicians and the bankers hang. I want to see the royal Family exiled to a housing estate in Scunthorpe and made to eat turket twizzlers. It would amuse me greatly

[AvidFan]

If I were a plutocrat, I’d be sponsoring any voice that would say government is now a hopeless proposition. In reality, right government is our ONLY hope!

Personally, I'd question democracy in so much as a democratically elected ideology probably isn't the way to go any more.

We need to be able to fine tune society. Yes, we can have elected representatives, but we shouldn't have to elected them based on a broad manifesto on which we are in more agreement with than their competitors.

We should have democratically elected leaders that implement our desired social change on every aspect of life as we specify it. And we should re-elect them only if we consider them to have done a good job.

The struggle of left versus right, socialism versus capitalism, is over. What we need is humanitarianism for all.

Edited August 9, 2009 by AvidFan

[Guest Parry aka GOD]

Yes, I've only discovered this Forum a week ago. He's been in on the discussions.

Well, a couple of years ago I used to fight like hell with old Injin regarding this very subject. Now, not so sure.

Some form of organisation, yes. But it's now out of control, too corrupt, has made an industry out of itself and out of obstruction and skews the free market ultimately having the reverse of the, so called, desired effect. I agree with Peter Schiff when he talks about government inflating the costs of services.

They also like war a little too much. It's a mess, frankly.

Needs to change and fast.

[bill still]

Yes, these divisions waste our energy and divert us from the correct solution.

But nothing will work well before monetary reform is accomplished.

Personally, I'd question democracy in so much as a democratically elected ideology probably isn't the way to go any more.

We need to be able to fine tune society. Yes, we can have elected representatives, but we shouldn't have to elected them based on a broad manifesto on which we are in more agreement with than their competitors.

We should have democratically elected leaders that implement our desired social change on every aspect of life as we specify it. And we should re-elect them only if we consider them to have done a good job.

The struggle of left versus right, socialism versus capitalism, is over. What we need is humanitarianism for all.

[Guest UK Debt Slave]

Don't associate politicians and bankers with humanity.

They don't deserve it.

[InternationalRockSuperstar]

Democracy or democratic republics are our ONLY hope.

What are you on about?

A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.

[Bloo Loo]

What are you on about?

A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.

more like 25-30% with our first past the post democracy.

[bill still]

But consider the alternative.

more like 25-30% with our first past the post democracy.

[InternationalRockSuperstar]

But nothing will work well before monetary reform is accomplished.

has it not occurred to you that once a group of people have gained a monopoly of the use of force (i.e. formed a government) that they will use this force to then monopolise other markets including the money markets?

[InternationalRockSuperstar]

But consider the alternative.

freedom!