Politics | History

The Danger of Politicians and the Government

Government overreach and what can be done

What if one of the most accomplished people in American history had some profound things to say about our government? Would you want to hear him out?

Let’s look at a remarkable man, his accomplishments, and some of his tremendous insights into the government of the United States of America.

Governor, Secretary of State, and Chief Justice

He served our country as a statesman, politician, academic, and jurist. He was also the author of numerous books about our government and international relations.

You may not be familiar with his name, but he played an essential role in our government during The Great Depression, one of the most challenging times in our country.

Charles Evans Hughes served as the 11th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. In case you are not aware, serving on the Court is one of America’s highest and rarest honors. Since the birth of America, there have been only 17 chief justices, yet we have had 46 presidents!

After serving as the 36th governor for the state of New York, Hughes made a bid for the Whitehouse in 1916, subsequently serving as the United States Secretary of State for two administrations before becoming Chief Justice.

As one of the most accomplished people in American history, his thoughts and words about our country remain invaluable. Hughes was a tremendously gifted individual with an excellent comprehension of what the founding fathers intended for the country. Let’s look at some of the wisdom he left for us.

This is another in a series of articles where we look at profound quotes about our country, government, patriotism, and politics.

Each of the following quotes is from Hughes’ voluminous writings. I will share a few words with each to bring them into today.

The government as servant, not master

If there were anything Hughes wrote that I wish would always remain in the minds of every politician and citizen, it is the following words:

“We [the Government] are here not as masters but as servants, we are not here to glory in power,

but to attest our loyalty to the commands and restrictions laid down by our sovereign, the people of the United States, in whose name and by whose will we exercise our brief authority.”

Sadly, today, too many politicians act as masters, not servants. Too many wield their power in opposition to the people they are supposed to serve. Too many protect their status for far too long at the expense of we, the people.

If there were anything that would point to limiting the terms of every politician, this is it. Too many politicians stay in office to serve themselves and their personal agendas as long as possible.

Because of the nature of humanity and its overwhelming greed, the only remedy that makes sense is to put term limits into law. We will occasionally lose a few good ones, but in my opinion, we would be far better off. With no politician holding office for more than one or two terms, it would limit their ability to accumulate so much power.

It would be better to spread power to many than to have it concentrated in the hands of a few lifelong politicians!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter.

Government abuse and improper use

The forefathers wrote our founding documents with selflessness in mind because they understood that selfishness had no place in government. Unfortunately, selfishness has firmly gripped practically every politician through the years. Too many hunger for power and glory, the epitome of being selfish! Instead of working for their constituents, they wind up manipulating them.

“Selfishness and demagoguery take advantage of liberty.

The selfish hand constantly seeks to control government,

and every increase of governmental power, even to meet just needs, furnishes opportunity for abuse and stimulates the effort to bend it to improper uses.”

The problem with having too much power is that once the Government takes something over, it rarely gives it up. With 3 million federal employees and 1.4 million serving in the military, the Government has far more power today than our forefathers could have imagined.

The problem with too much power in the government is its misuse and failure to relinquish it. Too many politicians want more power, control, fame, and fortune at our expense! All you need to do is look at the wasteful spending of our tax dollars and the tremendous debt our country has incurred as proof.

The entire problem of government abuse of severe overspending is caused by those who supposedly represent us. Yet, we citizens are responsible for electing self-indulgent politicians into office, so we share in this atrocity.

The only way out of this situation is to eliminate the people in office who are the problem and replace them with responsible, selfless, intelligent, non-power-hungry people who will create laws that prevent such nonsense in the future. Surely, such people exist in our population of more than 335 million legal citizens.

What do you think about this subject?

Government begins at home

Part of the expansive and intruding nature of government is because of the breakdown of the home. With divorce and fatherless homes so common today, our population continues changing dramatically in each generation. How can we understand the rights and duties of citizenship (civics) when so many homes and lives are in complete disarray?

“The first lesson in civics is that efficient government begins at home.”

Without order in the home, only more chaos will enter the political arena, and there is plenty of it today! An answer to this issue is to restore the importance of family, which includes far fewer broken, single-parent homes.

I would love to read your opinion on this issue in the comment section below.

The right to be different

A great thing about America is that we have the right to live as we wish and be different so long as it does not harm us or others. Each of us has the right to live in poverty or become as wealthy as possible. We have the right to be as industrious or lazy as we wish. We can own property and live anywhere in the country without restrictions. Few nations possess these freedoms, and with how things are going, one can only wonder how long we can hold onto them.

“When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free.”

However, too many politicians and their lust for control prefer to restrict our freedoms, limiting what we can do, what we can say, and how we can live. As our government grows and becomes more pervasive and powerful, it dictates more of what we must do, eroding the individual freedoms outlined in the Bill of Rights and the other 17 constitutional amendments. Will reason and normalcy ever be restored?

What do you believe lies in our future?

Final thoughts

As we near some of the most crucial elections in our lifetime, I urge every American to exercise their right to vote, our civic duty, in every local and national election.

I would love your thoughts and takeaways on Hughes’ words in this article in the comment section below!

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Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION

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