"A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it had earned - this the the sum of good government."
-Thomas Jefferson
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Growth of the Federal Government
If Thomas Jefferson could see our country right now, he would undoubtedly be appalled and horrified by the enormity of the federal government presence in citizens' everyday lives. The federal government has gone from an institution worried about stepping on any toes to a huge monopoly trying to worm its way into every system, business and household to gain more power. The reason for this is not because of tyranny - its even more insulting than that. The federal government believes that YOU are not capable of taking care of yourself and wants to be your nanny state. They bail out businesses to gain control, hand out money to gain control and force industries, such as healthcare, under their control. Getting handouts from the federal government may not seem so bad at first glance, after all, who doesn't like getting "free" money? Eventually, we will all be suckling from the tit of the federal government, unable to live our lives without it. The function of the federal government is not to pay our bills or to solve our problems, it is simply to protect our rights. If our rights are protected, then, there's no need to further regulation. We should not depend on the federal government to take care of us, they should simply protect us. They have gained so much assumed power that President Bush assumes it's peachy to listen in on private conversations, FDR thinks he's Robin Hood and Obama thinks he's this big hero for forcing people to buy healthcare. Wiretapping is not okay, federal healthcare is not okay, welfare is not okay. Taking money against the person's will is stealing, especially if it doesn't even benefit them. No, benefitting their morality doesn't count. You have no right to make other people pay for your morals. I would give everything I had to something I supported before I started stealing from others, which I would never do. How many of you who support the taking of other peoples money have given every cent you own to your cause? Stop giving the federal government the power to steal more money from American citizens. Stop letting the federal government expand.
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I found this post by fellow classmate, Caitlin, to be well-structured in its argument against a national government that is growing ever stronger. Her rhetoric is so compelling, mainly due to the hyperbolic language she utilizes—creating a sense of urgency and doom. Her portrayal of the national government as a malevolent institution proficiently uses exaggeration as a tool which shapes her convincing argument. The specific word choices that she makes, from the government “worm[ing] its way into every system” to “want[ing] to be [our] nanny state,” portrays our government in such a negative light, we cannot help to begin to doubt its intentions.
ReplyDeleteCaitlin makes several valid points:
1) The government displays condescension in its attempts to gain control of various systems, from healthcare to industry.
2) Do we wish to be so dependent on our government?
3) The government serves its purpose by protecting our rights and nothing more.
4) Why should we be forced to pay for causes we do not support?
Her conservative views towards government interference are evident from the very beginning of this strong-minded blog post. However, her writing is not merely opinionated. She manages to provide effective evidence in order to support her adamant beliefs by answering the question, “so what?” So what if the government is becoming stronger? Caitlin provides an unappealing scenario in which we become ultimately dependent on our federal government. She calls upon the indignance of most Americans who do not particularly enjoy the feeling of relying on others. She portrays the government as thieves of our money, effectively igniting resentment in her readers. Lastly, she quotes one our wise Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson, who completely supports her view of a government that lets its people be. All in all, a cogent and convincing argument.