An Unhealthy Addiction to Government

The United States and in particular its national government is very different than it was just a century ago. In 1908, the bureaucracy was not nearly as expansive (New Deal in late '20's), the Department of Education was simply a pipe dream for some, Social Security and Medicare were unheard of (LBJ's Great Society in the '60's), and there was not even a federal tax being levied (established in 1913). At that time, the progressive-modernist impulse was just beginning to take root on a national scale, as diversity began being traded for unity, creativity for efficiency, and liberty for power.

In that day, parents would decide when their children would begin to work and what type of education their children would receive. The purpose of government according to many in that day was found in its restraint of those things that would infringe upon the prerogatives of individuals and families. As the modernist impulse began to overrun all competing ideologies, many valid counter-arguments were raised: The government cannot possibly raise children as well as families, nor does it have the prerogative to determine their paths. Unity comes at the cost of individuality and unique potential, as all are driven to the common denominator necessary for such unity. Efficiency brought power, but it made human beings into cogs of the societal machine, treating them only as means to a governmentally-ordained end. This view of human value in functional terms would inevitable cause a devaluation of life and create significant moral dilemmas. In addition, as power was sought above all things, the common good would inevitable be set aside for the "greater good."

As a result, power and wealth came to America as never to any society preceding her. We traded our birthright of liberty for the warm porridge of wealth and initially found ourselves satisfied. But what now? We have our Brave New World, with its entertainment-induced apathy to the reality of the world around us, each fulfilling our societally-imposed function. Some might think such a statement ludicrous as we live in a time of unparalleled opportunity to pursue any career path, but we must think more deeply. We must receive a certain type of education through the 12th grade, either through public schools or governmentally-monitored private/home schooling. The curriculum is always ordered in such a way as to program robots with certain basic facts, without asking questions concerning origin, morality, or purpose. In order to translate this "education" into productive labor as adults, people must commit their lives to given careers that consumes two lives and allows child-rearing by means of entertainment and "education."

Uncle Sam has gone from guardian to godfather as the family lives at the mercy of the almighty State. To criticize is to blaspheme and bite the idolatrous hand that feeds us. In all of this, we have made our choice: a hollow, vacuous wealth and a world of illusions. Is this not your choice? Then why do we each cringe at the thought of losing any of this power in order to regain a fraction of our old liberty? Security and prosperity have become our gods.