Why Humans Need Government

By James Donahue

We occasionally find columnists that present strong arguments in favor of anarchy.  Indeed, after months of watching the failures on the part of our elected legislators in Washington to accomplish much of anything, the case for trying to live with no government at all sounds tempting.

Writer Joel Turtel once wrote: “government man, why do we need you? Just holster your gun, withdraw your taxes, regulations, public schools, and entitlement programs, and get out of our way."

There was a time in my youth when I might have wholeheartedly agreed with Turtel's extreme Libertarian viewpoint. But after watching the subtle corrosion of our Republic until it has slipped into a democracy controlled by the masses, I have changed my mind. Democracies don't work because it puts control in the hands of the majority of the people, and they have shown they are incapable of choosing good leadership or making the right decisions.

The election of George W. Bush was a perfect example of what I am talking about. The jury is still out on Barack Obama.

What has happened in America in the last few decades is that the masses appear to have taken control of our government. This is not to say that they were not cleverly persuaded to elect the candidates they did by slippery and costly corporate advertising. And, of course, the people selected at the polls to run our country are reflecting the general intelligence of the majority.

Most people in the United States, for example, would have been quite comfortable sitting down to tip a beer with President Bush. That Texas cowboy treated distinguished royalty from other nations to rodeos and steak fries on his ranch, and was photographed giving the Premier of Germany a little back rub at a formal dinner as if she were an intimate friend. This behavior is reflective of the mind-set of most of the beer-guzzling, football-watching numb-skulls that dominate American households.

Unfortunately, America's leadership is sadly lacking at a time in human history when we need strong, decisive, intelligent and spiritual leadership more than ever before. We thought we had it when we elected Mr. Obama, but while this president says what seems to be what we want to hear, his actions, or inactions, reflect what we fear may be an unwillingness or inability to make decisive decisions during our current time of crisis.

Back when my wife and I first entered the labor force, we also rebelled against the weekly wage deductions for state and federal income tax and social security. Like Turtel, we believed that personally investing that small weekly sum would bring better returns in interest and provide a better retirement package. While we were right, we never put that investment strategy into practice.

Fortunately I had an employer along the way that participated in the 401-K program and set up a plan that enhances the retirement money we now receive. My wife and I also are glad for the Social Security payments and Medicare assistance received. As retired Americans we see the wisdom in these programs. Even those of us who thought we knew better never got around to planning for retirement. It was something that just crept up on us whiles we were busy dealing with the cost of raising a family and living from paycheck to paycheck.

Indeed, we agree with Libertarian arguments against paying taxes level with those of a socialist system, without reaping the benefits of free medical and education programs, and we are strongly in favor of giving up many of our capitalist ideals and shifting to a socialist system for the good of all. But we still want government. The people as a whole have never demonstrated an ability to correctly govern themselves.

I once heard it stated that when primitive people were given a rock, they used it to club each other over the head. When humans were given the fire, they used it to make weapons to kill. When given the secrets of the atom, they invented the nuclear bomb. Indeed, this is not the sign of a world that is capable of handling its own affairs without the controlling force of government.

We especially take issue with arguments against environmental controls. As an advocate of rules to protect the Mother Earth from any more destruction by this overpopulated world, it appears that only through government control that we can expect to force society to stop polluting and overpopulating our planet.

Unfortunately, the failure of our leaders to recognized this impending danger or take action because it might harm profits of industry, is bringing us all one step closer to the complete death of our planet and a global extinction of all species, including us.