Government Is Not the Problem. WE ARE.

Government Is Not the Problem. WE ARE.

We have failed in our vigilance. We have failed in our understanding of the charter of freedom.
But it’s not too late.

Let’s be brutally honest. President Obama is not the problem. Congress is not the problem. The federal courts are not the problem. These are merely symptoms of the malady.

This is not an “R” or a “D” issue. This is a “we” issue.

We are experiencing tyranny because we have allowed this to happen. The economy? Immigration? Welfare? Assault on speech, religion, privacy, and the fundamental right to self-defense? We allowed it, and we must level with one another if we are going to begin fixing this monstrosity.

The lack of education regarding the governing document and the charter of freedom is, bar none, the greatest problem in America today. We cannot defend what we don’t understand. We cannot combat bad government unless we know what good government looks like. And we can’t defend freedom unless we understand what that actually means. We can come up with cool sound bites, but we can only pretend for so long.

Our culture’s lack of understanding of the Constitution is reflected in our consistent election of people who do not understand the document either. The travesty is that the very people who have taken an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution flippantly disregard it or even tell us it is outdated. And Americans buy off on the idea without recognizing the sadly profound consequences. If this is true, what constitution are they adhering to? What will limit the actions of those to whom we’ve given power?

As a result of our own lack of vigilance, we are now caught in the government’s web of controlling areas of our lives that it has no right to control, taking money it has no right to take, and infringing on liberties it has no right to infringe upon.

In essence, the government has told us it can legislate for whatever purpose it wishes. It was not intended to be this way. However, an ignorant people will not elect representatives that respect the parameters of authority. Rather, an ignorant people will elect people based on the desire for government to do something for them personally rather than protect the overarching model of freedom. It will elect people who are removed, unbridled, and arrogant and who look out for future elections and not the best interest of a free people.

Of course, we hear the accusation that the liberty-minded folks just don’t get it. We are told that we are upset over nothing. We are told that we don’t have a clue about the reality America is faced with. That’s a bit like a septic tank telling us to just have a mint.

The federal government regulates everything from washing machines to toilets, light bulbs to baby cribs and pacifiers, matchboxes to balloons. It has swallowed the free market whole and thrown down the gauntlet on individual productivity and prosperity.

This didn’t happen overnight. It happened ever so slowly, and we allowed it. To think that 320 million cannot control 435 in the House of Representatives, 100 members of the Senate, a president, and members of the judicial branch can appear mind-numbing. If we look at our culture, it is completely understandable.

In light of this ongoing train wreck, there is hope. Just as incrementalism is the death of America, incrementalism can also save America. Slowly, but surely, we must return teeth back to this document that is designed to restrain authority and maximize freedom.

Let’s be clear. It is not that we don’t need government. It is that government must simply follow the rules. Why? Because when they follow the rules, tyranny is minimized and freedom is maximized. When they disregard the rules, the conditions under which we find ourselves in 2013 is what results. Tyranny is on every front, and it is our responsibility to fix it.