From: gilham@csl.sri.com (Fred Gilham)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Bashing that Bad Old Government
Date: 9 Sep 92 08:39:38 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Lab, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA.

Paul Marxhausen writes:
----------------------------------------
      .
      .
      .
   Now THINK for a minute, folks.  What would you have government
officials do?  If they do nothing about human needs and tragedies,
we're all in an uproar - "How can THEY stand by and do nothing while
people starve?  How can we send men to the moon and people live in
cardboard boxes within sight of the Capitol?"  etc. etc. etc.  We see
a lot of this right now in re: Florida/Hurricane Andrew - "Whose fault
is it help didn't come sooner?"  etc.  When human need is before their
eyes, nobody's in the mood to debate the wisdom of helping people.
"Well, am I really doing the best thing by giving you and your
starving kids these food stamps?  Aren't I really destroying your
family?"  There's a point where such philosophising is bullshit.
      .
      .
      .
----------------------------------------

The problem is that we in the U. S. are in the grip of what Jacques
Ellul called `the political illusion'---the idea that every human
problem has a political solution.  If people expect the government to
solve every problem, they will get a government that attempts to do.
Those currently in power can't afford to deny compentence in any area;
if they do, others will get elected by promising to solve problems
those in power are `neglecting'.

Either those in power will believe that they can solve the problems
they claim to be able to solve, or they won't believe it.  If they
don't, they'll likely be cynical, power- or money-hungry people who
ran for office for personal benifit.  If they DO believe it, they'll
try to do something, and if they succeed, they'll likely do damage.

A good example of the above is education.  The government has tried to
solve the problems of education for over 20 years now.  It hasn't
succeeded (though every presidential candidate must claim to have a
vision about how to do so).  But it HAS harmed the process by
increasing bureaucracy and imposing educationally non-pertinent
requirements on schools.  (When I was teaching, I remember that
certain classroom aides were not allowed to help certain children who
did not fall into the category that the program the aides were funded
by was mandated to help.)

At any rate, those of us who believe that the role of the government
should be limited are not cold-hearted monsters.  We think that when
the government gets involved, it dehumanizes people and preempts other
social structures that might serve the functions it is now claiming.
Governmental involvement in people's personal lives destroys society.
It flattens the societal heirarchy so there are only two levels---the
individual and the government.  Once it co-opts an area of society, it
doesn't let go---partially because the constituency it has created
will not allow it.  Social security is a prime example.  Anyone who
argues against it, or wants to make it voluntary, or talks about
means-testing it, is seen as a Neanderthal wanting to throw old ladies
into the streets.  Besides which, the voting block of elderly people
is strong enough to make such positions politically untenable---as
Reagan found out in the early 80s.

From a Christian point of view, there are two problems with this
situation.  First, the government will tend to compete with God.
People who see the government as their omnicompetent protector will
not have to depend on God.  Also, the demands of the government will
tend to take on an absolute character, since there is nothing to which
it submits itself.  That is, government loses its humility.  Because
it can no longer say, ``I can't'', it must make ever more grandiose
claims, and become ever more intrusive if it is to make an attempt to
fulfill those claims.

As far as what governmental officials should do, they should work to
change the expectations of people regarding government.  They should
work to make a political culture where people will be able to say ``I
can't'' again, and where those who make grandiose claims they can't
fulfill are castigated, whatever party they are of.

This doubtless will not happen during this political season.