The federal government has a legitimate role of protecting its citizens from threats that seek their destruction, but acting beyond that, it becomes a destructive force.
President Ronald Reagan is remembered for saying “Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem.” Now, what did he mean? Well, he was not against government–an anarchist–which is self-evident since he was the leader of the federal government.
He was a legitimist and therefore recognized the need for limited federal government. Moreover, like the founders, he well understood the potential for the servant of the people to become the master of the people. Therefore, his epigrammatic declaration meant that a burgeoning government is the problem since it ultimately tyrannizes faith, religious freedom, charity, brotherly love, generosity, personal responsibility, family, freedom of choice, ad infinitum.
The fear of a burgeoning federal government resulted in the adoption of the Bill of Rights, which is solely designed to protect the citizens from the intrusion of the federal government in areas not specifically authorized. The tenth amendment speaks specifically to this in no uncertain terms. It says “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
Our Founding Fathers included this constitutional guarantee because they knew only too well that a small, limited government works best, and that unless government is specifically limited in size and scope of authority, its insatiable appetite will inevitably produce a tyrannical behemoth.
President Barack Obama’s massive spending and belief that a burgeoning government is the solution is a radical departure not only from Reagan, but our Founding Fathers. Although some of his measures may be rescinded by the next administration, if history is any indicator, many will remain unchanged, thereby forever limiting citizens’ freedoms to what the federal government deems best. When the first answer to problems is government, they mean not best for free citizens created in the image of God, but rather best for perpetuating a burgeoning federal government to provide for children of the state.
