You’ve probably heard that religion and politics should not be discussed in polite conversation. Today is the 237th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution, so I have a good excuse to go on a short rant about both topics. To set the ground rules for our conversation on big government, please consider the following quote from Mark Twain.
“In religion and politics people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.”
Mark Twain
As is the case in most presidential election years, second-hand news about the candidates is abundant. Whether you lean left or right, there are plenty of reporters, internet influencers, and celebrities spouting worthless opinions. They are more interested in sensational stories than facts. As voters, we should tune out that noise and listen to the actual words of the candidates. Since most politicians are liars, we should test their words against their actions. Only by careful examination can we cast an informed ballot.
When you filter out all the noise, you will find one main philosophical difference between our two parties. Starting with Roosevelt’s New Deal, the Democrat party is generally in favor of bigger government, while the Republicans are in favor of smaller government. This is especially true for the candidates in the 2024 election. In President Trump’s 2016 campaign, he promised to drain the swamp. During that presidency, his Whitehouse staff was kept under 400 people with a budget of around $40 million annually. In addition to running a lean Whitehouse, Mr. Trump also donated his entire presidential salary to various government agencies. The Biden-Harris Whitehouse consisted of 600 staffers costing taxpayers over $60 million yearly.
Consider that the number of Federal Government employees in 1802 was under four thousand. Today, We have created hundreds of government agencies that employ nearly three million workers. Do we really need the offices of Radio Free Asia, Radio Sawa, or the Japan-US Friendship Commission? The interest payment on our national debt is nearly as much as our entire military budget, yet we continue to borrow in order to broadcast radio and television propaganda to Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Cuba.
So how does the government balloon from 4000 to three million in 237 years? James Madison and John Adams answer this question in their writings. Few historians let alone common citizens take time to read our founder’s warnings. In Federalist #51, Madison says we would need no government if the governed were angels. Also, if angels governed us, there would be no need for government checks and balances. Our founders realized that both the government and the governed are capable of great good as well as great evil.
Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself
James Madison (Federalist paper #51)
The founders based our government on Christian principles. The farther we stray from those moral and religious roots, the more government we need to keep our corrupt human nature in check. In short, if we do not have God’s law written on our hearts, we need man’s laws to keep us in line. The government that John Adams and his constitutional convention put in place was inadequate to govern anybody other than a moral and religious people. As the morality of our country declined, the need for a bigger and more restrictive government grew. When asked about the French Revolution, Adams said “I know not what to make of a republic of thirty million atheists.” The French have created 16 constitutions since 1787 when we wrote the U.S. Constitution.
We have no Government armed with Power capable of contending with human Passions unbridled by morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition, Revenge or Galantry, would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a Net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other
John Adams
God grants us the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (purpose). The abortion issue has been front and center for years. It is a great litmus test for the morality of our nation. When we decide to make it our choice to snuff out the God-given right to life and call it reproductive health, I fear that our country’s moral foundation has cracked. If we are willing to take away our neighbor’s freedom of speech because their opinions differ from ours, we can no longer debate on the best course for our country. When Government gives away trillions of dollars and requests nothing in return, it robs the recipients of purpose and meaning. How far will these rights deteriorate before completely re-writing our founding documents as the French have done many times?
On November 5th, big government is on the ballot. We can vote for candidates in favor of higher taxes and greater regulation. Some candidates will use power for personal gain instead of the common good. Some candidates still consider themselves public servants. I urge you religious and moral citizens to cast your vote for local, state, and federal candidates who are themselves moral and pledge to protect our God-given rights.
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