Posted by
Andrews on Monday, December 31, 2007 2:24:17 AM
Let us imagine a hypothetical situation:
You go to visit your brother-in-law. He has just received a brand new shotgun, and is enamored with it. He thinks that shotgun is the best thing in the world, and it can do anything at all.
Someone says the sink is backed up, he shouts "I'll fix it with the shotgun!" Someone else says they have a flat tire, and he grabs up the gun and runs for the door. A third says that his soup is cold, and out comes the gun once more.
You notice the baby has a runny nose, but say nothing, as you know what comes next...
Now, what would anyone think of a man who attempted to fix everything using a shotgun? Who thought his shotgun could cure cold soup, flat tires, a clogged drain and a baby's runny nose?
That man would be insane, would he not? He clearly thinks that one tool can solve every problem, no matter how well or ill suited that tool is for the specific task. And that is certainly a sign of an unbalanced mind.
Well, here is my point: Government, too, is just a tool. It is suited for some tasks (settling disputes in court, protecting us from crime and foreign aggressors) and is poorly suited for other tasks (providing health care, creating jobs).
So, why do we think a man is insane for trying to fix everything with a shotgun, but we place our trust in politicians who think the single tool of government is suitable for fixing all problems?
Shouldn't we ask our politicians that they use the right tool for the right job and stop trying to use government to solve all our problems?
Updated 12/31/2007
I was writing a comment on an article which was related to this and I think I may need to write a slight elaboration.
Above I make some statements about what I think the proper role of government is, and I probably should not have done that. Instead I should have left it at this: We can disagree as to what the proper role of the state is, but we can all agree that the state is not the proper tool to fix all problems.
Having agreed to that, I think it is clear that everyone can also agree that politicians, for completely understandable reasons, often end up using the wrong tool for the job. Whenever a "crisis" arises, whenever some issue enters the public awareness, there is incredible pressure on politicians to "do something". And so, no matter how inappropriate state power may be as a tool to fix that specific problem, we end up with politicians trying to fix it using the power of the government. Why? Because that power is all that they have, and to do nothing is to risk being blamed should things get worse.
And so we end up with the equivalent of shaving with a chainsaw or planting roses with a backhoe. All because politicians fear having to explain inaction, and cannot bring themselves to admit (or explain) that the state is not the right solution to every problem which comes along.