An anomaly is something that is extraordinary or abnormal. In a nation of 312 million people we have a huge government apparatus which slinks into action whenever there is a freak occurrence in an attempt to regulate it or prevent it from happening again. The nature of government agencies is too attack the problem for which they were created then identify or “create” additional issues requiring their intervention. Freakish things happen, and it is not a necessary rule of Natural Law or Biblical Law that government has to ride to the rescue. Where is it written that every mishap that we encounter during the day-to-day living of our existence has to be pristine and hazard free? Because we live in a democratic republic, where and when has government been given or assumed the power to micro-regulate every facet of our lives?
When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was created did the legislators anticipate that every aspect of food consumption and remedies for ailments (including the natural, organic ones) should be minutely regulated? Certainly we do not want our medicines to cause us harm, but many natural products are beneficial without the many side-effects that plague the artificial pharmaceutical industry. If we assume that the human made products may be stronger and more beneficial than the products of nature, shouldn’t the choice be left to the consumer…the patient whether or not to ingest or inject the artificial compounds? As long as full disclosure is available for artificial and natural products, the FDA has no valid interest in preempting the choices of consumers. Nevertheless, a growing arrogant bureaucracy feels compelled to limit the freedom of consumers in order to justify its budgetary existence…and increases.
Individual liberty requires that we exercise personal responsibility. When we implement our unalienable rights to their full measure, we may mess up or choose unwisely from time to time. Government has no responsibility or mandate to prevent our making unwise choices. By eliminating the opportunities for our bad choices government, in essence, unnaturally restricts our options. The regulatory effort to “do good” in effect does harm by curtailing our freedoms. The underlying assumption for overreaching government rule making and regulation is that government is privy to the best and most useful information. The reality is that government is constantly besieged by special interests and weirdo advocates whose efforts to direct the bureaucratic focus often result in rules that endorse unproven and unreliable methods. Big government regulation is not benignly committed to saving the citizens from drastic consequences of nefarious corporations and scam artists. The regulatory regime dedicated to identifying products, services and remedies that it approves, and forcing the people to be limited to those choices under penalty of law. If you WANT to chew dandelion leaves to ward off the heartbreak of halitosis, by what natural or supernatural right does the government deny your freedom to do so?
The Nanny may be well-meaning although something as huge and impersonal as a government agency or program has no feelings. Good intentions can never replace our freedoms. The Nanny State’s desire to control (limit) our lives so tightly may lead to the government conclusion to ban all sharp objects…just in case we might be silly enough to run while holding them. Of course, a ban on sharp things could limit our ability to fend off tyranny, too. It could become a simple little side benefit for Big Brother to consider. Government’s decisions about what may be a better choice for us may be correct. On the other hand their determinations may not be the best ones for us as individuals. Whether the government’s assessments are right or wrong isn’t important. The key element is that as reasoning individuals who have natural rights and unalienable rights assigned from our Creator, critical choices are ours to make. Government has no right or duty to usurp our rights…our liberty.
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States assigns seventeen enumerated powers and responsibilities for the federal government. That portion of the primary legal document of our republic does not mention any little things, so why does our ineffective, inefficient government insist on regulating every little thing? I suspect that if we are compliant with the little things, government can violate the important duties with impunity. By conceding authority to regulate the small stuff we have lost our standing to challenge the government’s gross misfeasance and malfeasance when the greater issues are mishandled. We have a duty as citizens to reject the government’s overreaching into every little thing, and we must forcefully express our displeasure at government’s failure to fulfill its constitutional mandate. Rejection, resistance and restoration must be the patriots’ path.
No comments:
Post a Comment