Published on July 1, 2009
Lately, the primary issue my liberal friends and I have been discussing is the appropriate size and role of the federal government. This topic is nothing new, of course, since generations of Americans have been doing this since 1776. However, the question of what is the appropriate size and role of government is a hot topic currently because of the explosion of government in recent years. Although a proponent of a strong, effective, yet limited government, I have argued with them that the government has been exceeding its basic role and that this is a threat to the liberties of the American people. Not buying into my assertion and reasoning, one liberal friend of mine wanted to know why I feared government so passionately.
For starters, I do not fear government—I fear an intrusive government. After all, I am a libertarian, not an anarchist. I believe this country must maintain an energetic and responsive government (at both the state and federal levels) to enforce the laws passed by our representatives in the legislature and also to protect the liberties of its citizenry. Furthermore, it is my belief that government does have a legitimate role to play with the private sector in the many important issues currently confronting society. Where I depart from my liberal friends on this is how big a role the government should play. If it was a role in which the government was simply an equal playing partner with the private sector and created laws to help ensure that citizens were not exploited or unjustly taken advantage of, then I’m with them on that. But when some people on the left want the government to exceed that role and to start dictating to both individuals and businesses how they have to run their lives or run their business operations, my danger sensors turn on—and turn on fast.
For anyone who might disagree with my views on the role of government, I remind them to look back to the founding of this country. This was the type of government that George Washington preferred. Between 1789-1793, when President Washington often took the side of Alexander Hamilton (a proponent of a strong centralized federal government) over that of Thomas Jefferson (a proponent of an extremely decentralized federal government), it was not because Washington wanted what we call today “big government” to regulate every aspect of the lives of the American people.
On the contrary, Washington had recognized in both the Revolutionary War and the Articles of Confederation period how incompetent and weak the federal government was in implementing and enforcing its decisions and how much of a threat this was in holding the country together. He knew that a strong centralized federal government was needed to protect its citizens from abuses to their liberties at the state and local level, to protect them from foreign threats and Indian attacks, and for the country to be able to pay off its debts and to promote commerce among the states. At the same time, Washington was adamant in his support for removing any impediments that interfered with free enterprise and, in the words of his biographer James Thomas Flexner, thought the surest way “to the hearts of the people was to make the government as cheap as possible.”
This last point is particularly important for us to remember today, as Congress is now preparing legislation that increases taxes by more than $600 billion. Washington, like most—if not all—of the Founding Fathers, hated taxes and tax collectors. Richard Norton Smith, another Washington biographer, wrote that before the Revolutionary War, Washington chafed under the restrictions placed on his economic freedom by the British and believed that the state must not only answer to the individual but also keep its hand out of his pocket.
Therefore, although most Republicans today invoke the limited government rhetoric of Thomas Jefferson, who hated the idea of “big government” perhaps more than anyone in our nation’s history, it is wise to point out that although Jefferson often disagreed with Washington’s decisions on how strong and centralized the federal government should be, Washington also wanted a limited government with low taxes and his personal writings, along with his actions, back it up.
Conservatives and libertarians—and I would argue the majority of Americans—share Washington’s views on the size and role of the federal government, namely that it should be limited yet effective. It needs to be strong enough to enforce the laws it passes and it needs to be strong enough to protect the liberties of its people. Moreover, I don’t think it is a stretch to say that if Washington could see how out-of-control our current government is that he would not only be shocked, but he would also be very disappointed in us for allowing it to get this far.
What would Washington think of the taxpayer bailouts of failing corporations? What would he think of giving billions of dollars in aid to places like Pakistan, Egypt, and Israel? What would he think of unjust tax rates on businesses and personal income? What would he think of the federal government trying to play a role in just about everything that the American people do? What would he think of the quality of leadership in both major political parties?
I believe the answer is obvious. He would not like any of it. Indeed, none of the Founders would. And while many people think that the Founders, especially Washington, are now irrelevant, I would strongly argue that they are now more relevant than ever. It is times like these, when America is off track in so many different ways, that we need to be reminded of their wisdom, and the general premise of their wisdom is this: It is not the government telling people what to do and how to live that makes America great, but instead a free citizenry making choices which they feel are best for themselves and their families.
America cannot get back on track without its citizens reclaining their authority and telling the government what it is that they want them to do, rather than the other way around. It is therefore time that the people of this country take heed to the wisdom of the Founders and tell the federal government that all they have to do is get out of our way and get out of our wallets and We the people will put America back on track.