Jefferson Review

"Your Liberty is Our Interest"

Home /  Archives / Search / Links / Quotes / Book Reviews / Advertise /Contact us / Subscribe / Calendar

Time for a Fresh Start!

by Theresa Fritz Camoriano

The recent national election resulted in a substantial shift of power.  Now, it is time for a fresh start, and the question is in what direction will we go?  Will we move toward a society of greater voluntary cooperation or a society of greater government coercion? 

In a society of voluntary cooperation, the government would play a small role in our lives.  We would essentially be free to live in accordance with our own beliefs and priorities, as long as we do not infringe on the similar right of others.  We would have freedom of contract, freedom of association, freedom to use our talents and resources, and freedom to keep the fruits of our labor.  Government would treat each person the same under the law, not picking favorites.  In such a society, businesses would compete with each other to serve consumers, and consumers would have many tempting choices.  Such a society would be extremely productive, creative, and peaceful.

In a society of coercion, we would be heavily taxed, with the government using our resources in accordance with its priorities.  Government would control the education of our children, teaching them its version of history and imbuing them with the values of the people in power.  It would tell us what kinds of homes and businesses we could build and where we could build them, whom we could hire, what foods and drugs we could take, and what signs we could post.  It would choose favorites, plundering some and subsidizing others.  Such a society would be characterized by sharp divisions among people, each vying to be the plunderer – the one with the ability to control others.  It would also be far less productive and progressive than the cooperative society, with greater poverty and strife, and with little room for creative solutions to problems, since solutions would be dictated by the government rather than arrived at through creative competition.

Since the election, we have heard Democrats complaining that they no longer have any representation in the government.  They do not want to be taxed when Republicans will be deciding how the money is spent.  We have also seen and heard them struggling mightily to figure out how to regain power in the next election. 

This is to be expected, since we have become a society of coercion, in which the party in power calls most of the shots and dictates to everyone else.  The Democrats have become accustomed to wielding that power, plundering others and dictating to others, and they do not relish the prospect of being on the receiving end of such coercive government force.  As the people who promoted the growth of the coercive state, they are well aware of the benefits of having great coercive power.  But now they will begin to learn what it is like to see such power used when it is in someone else’s control.  They will see their money plundered in taxes to promote Republican programs and their children being indoctrinated by Republican-controlled schools.  The prospect cannot be pleasant.

Is it reasonable to hope that, during the next two years, the Democrats will begin to see the merits of a less coercive, more cooperative society?  Do we dare hope for them to promote a rollback or reduction of coercion?  Since Democrats no longer have control of the purse strings, might they seek to reduce taxes and reduce government spending, so that every person would be more free to use his own resources as he thinks best?  Might they seek to free the children from government controlled education, since they no longer have control over what the children will be taught? Since this would be a complete change of direction for them, it may be an unreasonable hope.  On the other hand, after being on the receiving end of coercion for a few years, perhaps they will begin to see the light.

And what will the now-powerful Republicans do?  Will they walk their talk and use this opportunity to roll back taxes and regulations, moving us toward a more peaceful, voluntary, cooperative society, or will they so enjoy the benefits of coercive power that they will continue increasing government control over us?  They now have a wonderful opportunity to make this country better for all people – by shifting the power away from the government and returning it to the people.   

We have also seen a shift of power in Kentucky’s state government, and we begin with a new metro council and metro mayor in Louisville.  Let’s hope that all these newly elected officials keep in mind that they are supposed to serve all the people – not just those who voted for them or who contributed to their campaigns.  And the best way to serve everyone is to restrain the coercion of government, using government force only to perform the functions that government must perform, while leaving the greatest portion of our lives free for voluntary, cooperative pursuits.

Weather (Louisville) / Mapquest / Search / White Pages / Business Search / CNN / Dictionary / E-card / MSN