What Government should be and do

I believe that I must define “responsible freedom” or “responsible liberty.” It is liberty in a less than Libertarian sense. People should be free of government coercion, but in an atmosphere wherein their freedom is acted on responsibly. Francis Schaeffer said, many years ago, that free democratic societies can only operate where a Christian worldview and high moral standards prevail. France and Russia both had democratic revolutions that overthrew royalist powers, and both descended into tyranny very quickly. The U.S. had a successful revolution because there was a Christian worldview and moral foundation to its culture. As these things erode, America slips into tyranny. We have more laws today to protect the order of society, simply because people have become less civilized. Gertrude Himmelfarb (Bill Kristol’s mother), has written about the decline of “civil society” in the west. Civil society is the veneer of politeness and public virtue that makes a nation run smoothly. It is a whole network of social expectations that, by their very presence, prevent a host of problems. When civil society declines, crime inevitably increases. (Consider what happened at a Walmart before Christmas, where an employee was killed in the stampede when the doors opened.) What America needs is a return to a working concept of civil society, based on Christian moral ideals. That, along with diligent protection of freedom will preserve both our democracy and our civilization. In the mean time, let us recognize that until this happens we will need more laws, more prisons, and more money spent on regulating an unjust and barbaric people. That being said, we must still recognize that government is, by its nature, inclined to increase its power, to exercise that power, and that in doing so, it harms the best interests of the people. While we need MORE government today than we needed in 1955, because the American people are more barbaric today than they were back then, we need to be even more diligent in limiting that government, and its power, to the bare minimum necessary to maintain some kind of order. It is not the government’s job to keep me safe from myself—or from the ineherent accidents of life. It is not the government’s job to make sure I am prosperous. It is not the government’s job to regulate or hinder the flow of ideas. The government has two basic jobs: 1) It should ensure the safety and continuance of the nation itself—protecting us from foreign threats (aggressive nations, terrorists) and from internal threats (criminals). a. Strong defense b. Laws against theft, murder, 2) It should act so as to encourage the kinds of virtuous behavior that make for a stronger nation. a. Laws protecting the sanctity of marriage—no gay marriage, laws against adultuery, AND no easy divorce! b. Laws against things that make people weak and immoral: gambling, pornography, drunkenness. c. Laws encouraging moral, socially responsible behavior—tax exemptions for charities, tax deductions for charitable giving; legally sanctioned preferences for art museums and symphony orchestras. d. Laws encouraging industry and thrift—creation of a pro-business environment, tax incentives for job creation and industrial development. Other than this government has little or no proper role in the world.