Limited Government Gaining Ground

The political movement for limited government appears to be gaining ground according to Ron Paul.  But why would this be so?

I suspect this movement is gaining ground among ordinary Americans rather than the political class.  Most ordinary people understand that they cannot spend more money than they make. that's just common sense. However common sense and government do not seem to occupy the same universe!

Politicians get elected promising to "do something" or other to fix what is wrong with society. The fact that legislation is not necessarily the best way of doing this is for the most part lost on them.

Government grows because it has the power to tax and levy fees on the citizens. If it had to show a profit like business does in the private sector, this would not be possible, as government does not produce anything, therefore cannot make a profit.

Government attracts to itself those who not surprisingly believe that every problem can be fixed if only there is a department established to deal with it, supported by a new tax to fund that department, and a new "Czar" to head up that department who can "cut through the red tape" (which actually means to operate without accountability).

Government "metastasizes" intruding into more and more areas of private life, until the line between public and private becomes blurred. Scaling back this odious trend will take not only political courage but something else that is in short supply these days, selflessness.

Selflessness is one of the hallmarks of true citizenship, and requires a belief  in something larger than ourselves.

In the words of the first century Jewish scholar Rabbi Hillel:

"If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I?

If I were around during the first century I would have answered Hillel's second question with "a politician."


This quote speaks of the need for a healthy balance between the desires of the self and the willingness to serve a larger cause, because in so doing we become greater for having put aside our personal interests and lending our spirit and energy to the fulfillment of a purpose for which we are willing to sacrifice.


It is the supreme irony that those called to "public service" are often the most reluctant to make this sacrifice, preferring instead to force others to endure the sacrifices that are necessary often to address problem these "public servants" have created.


It remains to be seen whether limited government will have an appeal beyond the Tea Party and other grass roots organizations who understand that government cannot solve all problems.  I am keeping my fingers crossed but not holding my breath.