“…few can reason, all can feel…” ~ Fisher Ames

People have a habit of doing things that perplex me. For instance, people often ask me for my thoughts on what can be done to solve the many problems our country faces. It’s not the question itself that perplexes me, that is a valid question, it is how people respond when I tell them what I think we need to do; they tell me I’m crazy, that my suggestion is out of the question. Why do people even bother asking me if they aren’t going to give any serious thought to my suggestions; why not ask their mailman, or one of the cashiers at their local WalMart?

I think people have this mistaken belief that only government is capable of solving the myriad problems this country faces; when the actual truth is that government is responsible for most of them.

My solution would be to drastically downsize government by repealing nearly all the laws that tell people what they can, cannot, or must do; while repealing or abolishing all of the agencies or programs that were designed to protects us; either from others, or ourselves. My solution would leave a small framework of government that was responsible for organizing for the defense of the country if attacked, and for keeping the peace between the states within the Union. And this is my ‘soft’ version of what I suggest; people go bonkers when I tell them the best thing that could happen would be for our central government to be abolished altogether.

I’ve actually had people ask me what government would do if it were the size I suggest. My answer astounds those who ask that: As little as possible! People have this misguided belief that government has to stay busy passing laws for it to be effective. That’s like saying your mechanic has to constantly be tinkering with your engine when it’s running perfectly. If people would just read Article 1, Section 8 of the constitution, there aren’t that many things government is actually supposed to be doing. However, due to a few craftily inserted loopholes, combined with a massive dose of ignorance on the part of the people, government has assumed far more power than is needed to serve the purpose of government outlined by the Declaration of Independence; which is to secure the people their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Since people believe that only government can fix what’s wrong in this country, they become trapped in an endless loop; a vicious cycle in which they see those who created these problems as the only ones capable of solving them. In a way that’s true, they are capable of solving a majority of these problems; just not in the way people think. People think new programs and new laws are needed to fix these problems; when the reverse is actually true. Government could begin to solve these problems if it began repealing laws and abolishing agencies that pass rules and regulations affecting the lives and liberty of the people. But we know that is never going to happen; which is why I call it a vicious cycle; and endless loop.

In the year 1849 a fellow by the name of Henry David Thoreau wrote something that outlines my philosophy towards government; and when I say government, I mean local, state, and federal: I heartily accept the motto, “That government is best which governs least“; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe- “That government is best which governs not at all“; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have.

If you’ll notice, Thoreau also believed that government should do very little, but he also took that one step further, saying that when people were ready for it, government would do nothing at all. It is that concept that freaks people out; causes a short circuit in their synapses; what would they do without all the things government does for them? I want you to read something that James Madison, the so-called Father of our Constitution, once wrote: If men were angels no government would be necessary. Now Madison did not say that the time would come that no government was necessary, he only implied that if man become more angel like there could come a time when government would no longer be needed.

Both of those men imply that whether or not government is necessary is up to us; the people. But what do they mean by that? If you believe what the Declaration of Independence says, that governments are instituted among men to secure their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then those words imply that there is a threat to those rights; and that threat comes from our fellow human beings. Therefore, for there to come a time when government is not needed, the people must first begin respecting the rights and liberty of others; even those they disagree with, or dislike. Since that won’t happen, since people are incapable of respecting the rights and property of others, then government is necessary; but only to make secure our rights, and nothing more; which is why Thoreau said ‘That government is best which governs least.’

But what is government but an institution composed of men, and women; subject to the same flaws and weaknesses as those it is supposed to be protecting us from so that we can enjoy our rights and liberty. Now I could be wrong, but maybe that is why Jefferson said: The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground. I think Jefferson understood human nature, and human nature is that when you give people power, it corrupts them; makes them greedy for more power. It is as Lord Acton once said: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

You have probably never given this much thought, but I have. If you were to take every candidate who sought political office in the federal government in the last election, and sent them back to 1800 to run for office, while bringing every candidate who ran for office in 1800 so they could run for office in 2020, in both instances, none of them would get elected; their political beliefs would not be compatible with the voters. That ought to tell you something; that something being that since our constitution has not drastically changed since 1800, the only change that has occurred has been in the minds of the governed; what they expect their government to do for them.

In 1821 Thomas Jefferson warned of this, of a change in the manners and beliefs of the people, in a letter to Judge Spencer Roane: Time indeed changes manners and notions, and so far we must expect institutions to bend to them. But time produces also corruption of principles, and against this it is the duty of good citizens to be ever on the watch, and if the gangrene is to prevail at last, let the day be kept off as long as possible.

That was 200 years ago, and our manners and principles have continually eroded until we’re stuck with the system we have today.

There is a saying, a people gets the government it deserves, and here we are, stuck with the government we deserve; because we as a people have forsaken and abandoned the beliefs of those who fought for their independence in 1776. Those who lived in that era of our history did not sit by idly while their rights were trampled upon; they resisted, the committed acts of violence and vandalism against the officials who sought to enforce tyrannical laws upon them; and when they came after their guns, they went to war against their government. Were that to happen today, the news media would label us as domestic terrorists, dangers to society; and the mindless masses would condemn us for our actions; not realizing that it was their rights, their liberty that we were defending; not only ours.

But people today do not want liberty, they want comfort and security; which is why they allow their lives to be turned upside down over a supposed virus; accept experimental vaccines in the hope that they can once again attend concerts and sporting events, go to bars and restaurants; never realizing that they always had the right to do those things; if only they had the courage to do it in defiance of the mandates handed down by government telling them they couldn’t.

People today not only do not know what their rights are, what their liberty is; they don’t know the nature of those things. Our rights and our liberty are inherent qualities; meaning they are part of us as human beings; essential characteristics. They are also unalienable; meaning they cannot be sold, transferred, or taken away from us by others. They are as much a part of us as our eyes, our ears, our heart, our lungs, and our limbs; they cannot be taken from us, or we cannot be denied the use of them, without a crime being committed against the very laws of nature itself. Yet here we are, allowing government to tell us that we cannot exercise them without its permission; without first complying with certain limitations, or requirements; such as taking the vaccine before being allowed to live free again.

Whose fault is it that this happens? Government only tells you what you can and cannot, or must do; you’re the ones who comply. If government told the people that there were simply too many people living in this country, and that it would be sending out letters to random people to come in to a government run facility to be executed for the general welfare of the others, would you comply if you got one of those letters? Why not, you comply with all the other things they tell you that you must do!

People today, at least most of them, do not want liberty; for liberty entails personal responsibility for all their wants and needs; and that scares them. They would rather submit to an endless litany of rules and regulations, so long as they had the promise of comfort and security government provides them. The worst thing about the whole system is that it does not offer us a choice as to whether we want to be governed by tyrants or not; our compliance is mandatory, and if we rock the boat too much, we face fines, jail sentences, and even death if we resist its authority.

There is not one of us alive today who had any say as to whether we wanted to keep this system of government; we were born into bondage to it, and throughout our lives we were indoctrinated into believing it is the best system the world has ever seen. Rubbish! Some of us fall into the category of people described by Etienne de la Boetie almost 450 years ago: There are always a few, better endowed than others, who feel the weight of the yoke and cannot restrain themselves from attempting to shake it off: these are the men who never become tamed under subjection and who always — like Ulysses on land and sea, constantly seeking the smoke of his chimney — cannot prevent themselves from peering about for their natural privileges and from remembering their ancestors and their former ways. … These are the ones who, having good minds of their own, have further trained them by study and learning. Even if liberty had entirely perished from the earth, such men would invent it. For them, slavery has no satisfactions, no matter how well disguised.

We are those you laugh at; those whose ideas and beliefs you scorn; calling them ridiculous…out of the question. Yet were this 1776 instead of 2021, we are the ones who would be fighting for America’s independence, while you would be licking the boots of King George III.

In any case, in answer to the question of what we can do to fix things in this country, I don’t think they can be fixed; people don’t have the desire to defend their rights and liberty; not when it might mean they be required to disobey a few laws, break a sweat, or shed some blood doing so. But Thomas Jefferson was right: The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. Our government is not going to give up the power it has amassed; not when they’ve worked hard for two centuries to acquire it. There will be no peaceful solution to this, and even if it does come down to violence, there is no assurance that this time those who love liberty will come out victorious; after all, they didn’t in 1865 when the Civil War ended.

But if you want to fix what’s wrong in this country you must dedicate yourself to the preservation of your rights and liberty; at all costs. Those who fought for our country’s independence did so, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Those who committed treason by signing the Declaration of Independence did the same: And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Their solution is the only one that will work to fix the problems we face; sever all ties to the system of government that enslaves us. Anything else is half-measures and ensures our continued slide into absolute despotism.

Well there you have it, my thoughts on our current predicament. You can take them or leave them; but regardless of what you do, I stand behind them. So, if the things I’ve just said leave you trembling in fear, or leave you without hope, then maybe it’s time you did a little soul searching and see what it is you stand for. If you cannot find it within yourself to stand for the same principles that led to our ancestors seeking their independence from tyrants, I suggest you lock yourself inside and avoid celebrating independence day this year; for slaves don’t have their independence, they are slaves; which is what you are if you think government is your friend; that it is going to make anything better!

June 1, 2021

~ The Author ~
Neal Ross, Student of history, politics, patriot and staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Send all comments to: bonsai@syix.com.

If you liked Neal’s latest column, maybe you’ll like his latest booklet: The Civil War: (The Truth You Have Not Been Told). Life continues to expand for this prolific writer and guardian of TRUE American history.