Government Founded in Liberty

I like the saying "killing two birds with one stone" -- what I like more is when circumstances allow me to apply it in my life. Recently I started listening to audio books while exercising and found it as a great way to keep both my body and mind fit. One book I have been listening to is Murray Rothbard's Conceived in Liberty about the struggle for liberty during the pre-revolutionary period of American history.

A common thread I noted from listening to the book was that governments of that period existed only to protect the government itself or the self interests of a particular group of people in power. Individuals who did not conform to the government were subjected to the tyrannical machinations of those in power ranging from fines to public whippings, jail, or even hanging.

Fortunately for me I can learn indirectly from history and not from directly experiencing these tyrannical governments (at least so far). In applying the foundational truth of an individual's right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", it is evident that one of the fundamental flaws of these pre-revolutionary forms of government was that the governments were not founded on the principle of protecting an individual's liberty. The governments of that period clearly put the rights of elite groups of people over that of the individual.

The book impressed upon me some of the reasons why people were willing to fight so hard to gain their liberty. Individuals of today seem to have grown complacent and appear to be ignorant of the painful history that led up to the American Revolution. Unfortunately, this ignorance has led many people today to take the selfish view of government actions:

"if it doesn't affect me, then it is ok for government to do it"

or

"hey, that would be great for me"

without accounting for the affect the government actions have on the rights of other individuals. Or people justify government actions by saying:

"that's awesome, it is helping that group of poor people"

and don't evaluate the altruistic notion of the government "helping a certain group of people" in the context of how these government actions affect the rights and liberties of other individuals. The bottom line, regarding government actions, is that an apparent collective right cannot trump the right of any individual. First and foremost, every government action must be grounded in protecting individual liberties. One thing to note is that the government is not providing anything here except protection of the individual's liberty. It is up to the individual what they do with their liberty. Once their liberty is secured, it is up to the individual to pursue their own happiness, on their own accord, reaping and sowing the reward (good and bad) of their own endeavors.

All this sort of begs the question as to why we need or even have governments. But, fundamentally, some entity must protect one individual or group of individuals from infringing on another individual's right. One entity that can be created to perform this task is government. In founding this government, the principle of protecting individual liberties is, and must be, the underlying basis for it's framing. If protecting individual liberties is not the underling action of governments, then those governments will eventually degenerate into the tyrannical governments of the pre-revolutionary period of America.

In closing, it is clear that the Founding Fathers of the United States understood the concept that government must not be in business to protect itself or a certain group of people, but rather, to protect the individual liberties of the people it governs:

Government is instituted to protect property of every sort; as well that which lies in the various rights of individuals, as that which the term particularly expresses. This being the end of government, that alone is a just government which impartially secures to every man whatever is his own. (James Madison)

[A] wise and frugal government... shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government. (Thomas Jefferson)

Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves, therefore, are its only safe depositories. (Thomas Jefferson)

It has been said that all Government is an evil. It would be more proper to say that the necessity of any Government is a misfortune. This necessity however exists; and the problem to be solved is, not what form of Government is perfect, but which of the forms is least imperfect. (James Madison)