Reasons for a Small Government

My oldest daughter found a book that she requested as a birthday gift. As any good parent would do, I bought her that book – but then, I stole it from her. The book is titled The 5000 Year Leap by Skousen and it's one of the best books on the founding of our republic and the Constitution of the United States of America. I have written in it and dog-eared many of it's pages in the months I've been reading and re-reading it. (P.S. I bought her a new copy.)

The book speaks to many of the things going on in our country today – things that I believe would horrify our founding fathers.

Many of our Founding Fathers believed in the need for a small, limited government. Having just fought their way from a tyrant - they knew for certain they didn't want to relive that. They knew that anyone can become corrupt and the best way to keep corruption at bay was checks and balances -- and lots of those. Jefferson, in particular, believed in a strong local government. The federal government should only have power over matters that related to the entire country.

In Thomas Jefferson's words:

The way to have good and safe government is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among the many, distributing to every one exactly the functions he is competent to [perform best]. Let the national government be entrusted with the defense of the nation, and its foreign and federal relations; the State governments with the civil rights, laws, police, and administration of what concerns the State generally' the counties with the local concerns of the counties, and each ward direct the interests within itself. It is by dividing and subdividing these republics, from the great national one down through all its subordinations, until it ends in the administration of every man's farm by himself; by placing under every one what his own eye may superintend, that all will be done for the best. What has destroyed liberty and the rights of man in every government which has ever existed under the sun? The generalizing and concentrating all cares and powers into one body, no matter whether of the autocrats of Russia or France, or of the aristocrats of a Venetian senate. (Bergh, Writings of Thomas Jefferson, 14:421.)

Even James Madison, the majority author of the Federalist Papers believed that it was necessary to give as much power to the states and people as possible.

The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former [federal powers] will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce . . .The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvements, and prosperity of the State. (Federalist Papers, No. 45, pp 292-93)

Very amusing on retrospect – or it might be amusing if it wasn't so sad; Thomas Jefferson believed the federal government would small and inexpensive because it was limited.

The true theory of our Constitution is surely the wisest and best, that the states are independent as to everything respecting foreign nations. Let the general government be reduced to foreign concerns only, and let our affairs be disentangled from those of all other nations, except as to commerce, which the merchants will manage the better, the more they are left free to manage fro themselves, and our general government may be reduced to a very simple organization, and a very inexpensive one; a few plain duties to be performed by a few servants. (Bergh, Writings of Thomas Jefferson, 10:168)

And finally – what is happening today was feared at the beginning:

If the day should ever arrive (which God forbid!) when the people of the different parts of our country shall allow their local affairs to be administered by prefects sent from Washington, and when the self-government of the states shall have been so far lost as that of the departments of France, or even so closely limited as that of the countries of England – on that day the political career of the American people will have been robbed of its most interesting and valuable features, and the usefulness of this nation will be lamentably impaired. (John Fiske, The Critical Period of American History, 1783-1789, The Historical Writings of John Fiske, vol. 12.)

I fear we are there, and if not there, then very close. May God forbid we get any closer and may He guide us back from the precipice.