The Purpose of Government

The United States of America is a nation established by purposeful decision.  The Constitutional Convention was held to ammend the Articles of Confederation.  The founders realized that to enshrine the principles of liberty and justice in a written Constitution and Bill of Rights would require starting over. The preamble succinctly articulates the purpose of our government.

The checks and balances put in place by the founders have met with serious abuse over the centuries after their establishment. The “federal” government formed to benefit the states and keep them sovereign now encroaches in almost every aspect of life of most citizens through direct taxes and regulation.  It also now repeatedly seeks to dictate its will to the state governments.   It has become in effect a “central” government with an oligarchy of entrenched politicians.

The Declaration of Independence establishes the following principles:

1.      The concept of self-evident truth and natural law.

2.      Unalienable rights, they come from God, not government.

3.      Equality of individuals. Equal before the law. Equally free to succeed or fail.

4.      Government is to secure rights, not take them away.

5.      The source of government’s power is the people or the “consent of the governed”

6.      Government under natural law cannot do that which citizens cannot do as individuals.  If it does attempt to do so it becomes “destructive of these ends”. (The ends are freedom and preserving liberty.)

The Constitution specifically enumerates the powers of the President and Congress in an effort to preserve the principles of the Declaration. These specific limitations have been ignored excessively and repeatedly in the legislative processes over the last 100 years.  Congress and the executive branch effectively violate their oaths to uphold the constitution every time they act outside of its bounds. The judicial branch as well has not protected the original intent of limiting the powers of the President and Congress.

Discussions in today’s politics often involve talking points about human rights, civil rights or equal rights but these are not to be confused with unalienable rights.  Human rights and equal rights are most often misapplied terms that imply that government power should be used to equalize perceived injustices in society.  Inalienable rights are rights that all men and women have from God. Civil rights are those granted by government.  If government is to protect freedom its role is only to stop infringements on unalienable rights, administer civil rights carefully and not to grant such rights that do not exist naturally.  Civil rights should not be granted on the basis of a behavior.

A very important element of protecting freedom is for citizens to understand the principles outlined above. To protect rights and preserve the liberty requires the selection of leaders that understand them as well. Fundamental laws based on Judeo-Christian principles have been established as the foundational structure for behavior in our society.  Just laws must exist and be enforced for safety and for prosperity to be pursued in society. If government enacts laws contrary to the principles of divine jurisprudence or natural law it acts against its purpose and against the best interest of society as a whole.

It behooves state government officials to also realize that they also act in a position that should preserve the rights of citizens and municipalities to govern themselves. State government should realize that it has an obligation to “check” the actions of the federal government when it acts outside of its enumerated powers.