Sunday, February 13, 2011

Post #12 On Government

There are various levels of government.  National, regional, state, local, and municipal governments all provide services and require funding.  In the United States, and in many (but not all, by a long shot) other nations, individuals are free to move from region to region or city to city, within the nation.  The individual is accepted as a citizen where ever he moves.

The individual is not free to choose the nation-state where one wishes to live.  One may be able to choose to leave the nation state, but there is no guarantee that any other nation state will choose to award the individual citizenship.

This discussion will be specifically on national government only.  If one starts with the "Three Building Blocks" and the "Universal Morality", then one must accept that the purpose of the government is to protect individual freedom as much as possible.  If not, why would an individual want to join?

Government is the group that we must join to protect us from other groups and individuals.  There are many other groups, including religions, we may join for a specific purpose or goal that we choose, but only the government has the power to force our behavior.

If the purpose of the government is to protect the individual, where does the government cross the line between protection and oppression?  If the individual wants freedom and the government wants control, how can these conflicting goals be reconciled?

A society is composed of individuals.  Each individual, to fulfill himself, and live according to his nature, must have the freedom to act and feel as he pleases.  The task of a moral government is to make and enforce rules that define fair play and ensure that all players play by the rules.

A moral government allows its citizens to follow their own dreams, set their own priorities, and decide how steep a price they are willing to pay for their dreams.

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