Why Limited Government And Morality Are Both Essential

Forbes ^ | 04/14/2011 | Bill Flax

[billflax]

The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens. –Alexis de Tocqueville

Several recurring objections are leveled against those who extol the virtues of liberty. Particularly for those like myself who believe strongly in both unalienable natural rights as well as traditional standards of conduct. When we espouse objective moral truths the naysayers frequently label us hypocrites. A typical objection goes, “You complain about Washington telling you what to do, but you tell others what to do and how to think.”

This obviously misses that society and state are different creatures. We are all unique individuals “endowed by [our] Creator with certain unalienable rights.” We are not blobs of collective putty to be shaped to suit the state’s ends. The problem arises not from voicing opinions in the marketplace of ideas, but that some employ government coercion to empower their theories.

Popular culture has grown so inured to government proffered solutions for every perceived problem that people attribute any stated preference as seeking an imposition of state. Those with classical liberal beliefs propose the opposite. We want less government, not for those in power to dictate according to our views.

However, freedom and morality are necessary accompaniments. That’s why the founders, even deists like Jefferson, saw biblical morality as the essential bedrock bolstering the republic. John Adams believed, “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.” They thought without strong work ethics, honesty and personal responsibility that liberty would quickly slip into licentiousness incompatible with self-government.

[Wolfie]

But if the people aren’t moral, then what? Big Government to enforce morals? (As if such a thing were possible).

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Limited Government and morality go hand in hand. There is no such thing as morality in a big government enviroment. Big government is Godless and evil, period. That is what the Huckabee and Bush type “Compassionate Conservatives” don’t get. They can dream up all kinds of “conservative” or religious government assistance programs but they will be perverted into Godless Liberal programs eventually and once they have their tentacles around religious organizations, they will pervert them too.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

If you don’t have the latter, you won’t have the former.

[Sergio]

bkmk

[GOPBlonde]

Unless the US can move toward limited government and balancing the budget, the more conservative states will break from the union. Their ties with Washington DC will become tenuous. These conservative states [down South and out West] will refuse to subsidize the bankrupt Nanny states. Of course, the parasites and the poverty pimps will go wild. Civil unrest will be unavoidable.

[GOPBlonde]

Unless the US can move toward limited government and balancing the budget, the more conservative states will break from the union. Their ties with Washington DC will become tenuous. These conservative states [down South and out West] will refuse to subsidize the bankrupt Nanny states. Of course, the parasites and the poverty pimps will go wild. Civil unrest will be unavoidable.