© 2013 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. Nearly a hundred years ago Walter Lippmann wrote about the sickness of an over-governed society. Good thing he is not alive today. He would find more than a sickness with today’s society. It is reasonable to ask: when is too much government really too much? Early in the life of our country Thomas Jefferson wrote, “The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground.” Especially in the last one hundred years our government really gained ground on liberty. We certainly see the distorting influences of too much government in our lives. Americans are heading toward a society of tyranny. Perhaps we not living in a completely totalitarian society, but it is easy to answer: are we Americans heading toward more liberty or more tyranny?
When government tells us how many ounces of soda we can purchase at any one time, this is tyranny. Further, people in business tell horror stories about government workers who operate with the force of a dictator.
What should government be doing? Walter Lippmann wrote, “In a free society the state does not administer the affairs of men. It administers justice among men who conduct their own affairs.” The legitimate role of government in a free society is focused only on justice and the defense of our nation both externally and internally. Read column
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