21 May, 2013

Arrogant government | RedState

Arrogant government | RedState: The proper attitude of government towards its citizens is humility. The State kneels before the people who invest it with terrible authority. The Declaration of Independence and Constitution are full of language that illustrates this relationship, but you don’t have to look back that far, because American politicians constantly cloak themselves in the language of humility. They always talk about how honored they are to receive the public trust, and speak often of the American people as their “bosses.” They are very keen to portray themselves as the instruments of popular will. Few campaign victory speeches pass without the triumphant candidate professing him or herself “humbled.” For that matter, losing candidates usually say they were humbled by the support they received from their supporters.

An essential component of government humility is its recognition of a higher power. There must be rights the government is absolutely forbidden to infringe – a higher power granted those rights, so the government cannot take them away, no matter how much popular support it might enjoy at any given moment. There must be laws which the government can be punished for breaking.