The Era of Big Government Is … Upon Us

Editor’s Note: Today I welcome a new guest writer to the blog. Enjoy!

Bill Clinton famously said it was over – but it ain’t.  Not by a long shot.  A recent article in the Wall Street Journal titled “Recent Legislation Expands Role of Government in Private Markets” lays out the bad news:  government is growing faster than ever, with no end in sight. 

I have spent my entire adult life pointing out that government is not a deity, and that merely being employed by the government does not make one either super-intelligent nor super-honest.  And I’m not alone.  The WSJ article mentions economist Thomas Philippon, who wrote a book called “The Great Reversal: How America Gave Up on Free Markets.”  But despite the best efforts of Dr. Philippon, myself, and others, the general consensus is that government is just never big enough.

People marching in the street.

Trying to blame this phenomenon on apathy falls short.  Every day, we see citizens and activists getting fired up over some governmental action.  It could be some new legislation, or some court ruling, or some incident of police force deemed excessive.  Or urging by a politician.  And next thing you know, crowds of angry citizens are screaming and marching in the street, carrying signs demanding this or that.  I might not necessarily agree with whatever it is they are marching for, but the fact that they are out there shows that people can care enough about political issues to get up off their butts and do something.

And so, I did a deep dive to figure out what’s behind this endless craving for more and more governmental control over our lives, our money, our businesses, and our private lives.  I came up with the following:

First is an over-emphasis on winning.  Everyone wants to be on the winning team.  Our candidate beat your candidate!  Well that’s fine for sports, but politics is different.  Just because your guy/gal won that last election does not mean that all of society’s problems are now solved - and in fact, “voter’s remorse” is more common than you think. 

A party or a candidate need not necessarily win in order to have an impact on society.  History is full of such examples.  Consider the Socialist Party, who has successfully implemented most of their agenda - without ever winning a federal election.  The Prohibition Party successfully got an amendment added to the U.S. Constitution, again without ever actually electing anybody.  Consider Ross Perot, who ran for President of the U.S. in 1992 and 1996.  He never won, but he got enough votes to get attention, and actually got the country to at least think about out-of-control federal budget deficits.

A typical voter today probably would never consider casting a ballot for a minor candidate in a federal election. Why?  Well, because he/she cannot possibly win.  Never mind the fact that, even if your guy or your party wins … nothing’s gonna change.  But our typical voter just keeps voting the same way again and again, expecting a different outcome this time.  Isn’t that the very definition of insanity?

A better voting attitude would be to consider all of candidates and parties, even the ones with zero chance of winning.  Find the candidate with, in your opinion, the best message, and give them your support. 

Just think about what would happen if a minor candidate got, say, 15% of the vote for a major office.  No, it’s not enough to win - but it’s certainly enough to get somebody’s attention.  This is absolutely doable.

Polarized nation.

Next is extreme polarization, aided by technology.  In an earlier time, people got the bulk of their news and information from print and broadcast media.  These outlets have been criticized for being left-leaning, but that over-generalization is false.  The vast majority of them take their job seriously and strive for balance. 

But nowadays, too many people get their news from social media and other carefully selected sources.  The sad fact is that it’s too easy to only seek out material that has already been judged as agreeable.  Internet search engines are also to blame, as they have become notoriously biased based on your browsing history.  

As a result, America is brutally divided between “us” and “them”.  Now, it’s OK to have a political opinion, but everyone must at least try to understand the other side.  My personal daily routine is to seek out material from writers with whom I disagree.  I gain insights, and it forces me to re-analyze my preconceptions.  It also provides “ammunition” for my next debate.  Everyone should do this, but they of course do not.

Then there is the role of the public schools.  You may have been told that a “free” education is a fundamental right and that the school taxes you pay are an “investment” in our future.  Baloney.  Let me point out that these schools are run by the government and staffed with unionized teachers.  The primary reason they exist is to reach those young, impressionable minds, to indoctrinate and brainwash them into being docile, obedient little citizens, willing to hand over their paychecks and pledge their allegiance to the government flag, without flinching.   

Fortunately, we’re seeing a backlash in a few scattered locations.  Some parents are just now realizing that the government schools with their woke-socialist agenda is not what they signed up for, and are taking educational matters into their own hands.

But that pro-government strategy, in place for over a century now, has already achieved its intended results.  Generations of Americans have been well-taught since childhood that for-profit businesses are the bad guys, and government is the good guy.

What can we do?  Well, I will keep on fighting the good fight, preaching that free enterprise and limited government are what made America great.  Hopefully, someone might listen.