Friday, July 30, 2010
Our Expanding Government
Our government was created on the basis of having minimal control on the lives of its citizens. Our government was the result of the people of the American colonies living under the unfair rule of an overbearing English monarchy. The colonies decided that they didn’t want the government to restrictively limit their freedoms and rights, and this belief formed the basis of the U.S. Constitution. I believe the modern citizenry has forgotten what our forefathers worked so hard for. The people sit idly by now, watching the government expand its influence over their lives. The people are willing to allow the government, which is supposed to be “for the people” continue on a given course that could very easily turn disastrous. We have been bought. Our elected officials have made extravagant promises of programs larger and more widespread than ever before. Don’t get me wrong, universal healthcare for every American would not, and is not a bad thing. But what we forget to consider is the cost of such a large scale program, and the power and influence the federal government will gain over people’s lives because of it. Nothing in this world is free; the money for such a program would have to come from somewhere. With our nation’s loose fiscal policies can our government really afford to nationalize healthcare coverage? Where is all the money from the stimulus package, healthcare plan, and other programs coming from now? The answer is one we often tend to choose not to believe or choose to forget; the children will pay the price. Whatever wealth our government continues to extravagantly spend will one day have to be paid back. With our national debt somewhere around twelve to thirteen trillion dollars should our government really be digging a deeper hole for future generations to face? Can the government really do things more efficiently than private citizens? Does our government have the right to take control over our daily lives? Regardless, our government has reached a state of unsustainable spending and unless something is done soon, it will have done too much damage to be repaired.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You make an extremely valid point in this post. Our country was founded on the idea of less involved government, but it seems the people have forgotten about that, and our government officials are in no hurry to remind them of their independence. Our government is supposed to be, "For the people, by the people." Our votes don't even count for goodness sake. How is that by the people? It may just be me, but I think we should have some say so in electing the person that is going to influence the people who control the major aspects of our lives. Elections have turned into a popularity contest, who can make the most promises and be the most convincing and charismatic. It is very distressing to see these things happening, and for the most part the general population doesn't even seem to care. The fact that the government is starting to take over our lives, I think, has a lot to do with the fact that so many people are absolutely uninterested. When you don't care, it makes it a lot easier for someone else to accomplish the things that they want. I think the blame in fact rests a little on each of our shoulders. If we want to take back our government we need to be aware of the processes going on that are affecting our lives.
ReplyDelete