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Government too powerful?

07 November 2011

Posted by +Xinok

There are a lot of people that will tell you that government is too powerful. While I think that's true for today's world, some people take it too far and want to dismantle government down to the bare essentials.

It got me thinking, what if we were to shrink government and reduce it's power? Well, then corporations would have all the power and things would be even worse. This made me realize, the issue isn't so much that the government has too much power, but rather that the people don't have enough power.

What power does government have? They write the laws and enforce them. So they get to choose which bills pass and they can choose to not enforce or defund other bills or amendments.

What power does corporations have? Incredible wealth and influence. They have the funds to afford the best lawyers and have the best chance of winning in court. They also have the funds to lobby for laws which favor them.

What power does the people have? Protest, break a few windows, throw a fit. Occasionally, we can take something to court and win, but it takes us considerably longer and it seems we lose more often than we win.

So simply put, I think the solution lies in balancing the power between government, corporations, and the general population. The government needs to be powerful enough to protect and serve the people, corporations need to be able to serve their own interests so they can provide for their employees, and the people need to power to protect their rights and liberties.

9 Comments
1

Denis W
Nov 08 2011 01:59

Well said. (Y)

Dan~
Nov 08 2011 08:03

The UK government has the right amount of power, maybe too much because we are forced with absurd EU directives.

plainold
Nov 09 2011 13:55

Well, that is why I like Communism. Eventually, when communism is achieved there are no government, the people are the "government". Everyone has equal opportunities, wealth, rights etc. In other words, a far better solution than making the rich richer, and the poor poorer, like the economic-imperialist-USA,

I think that people eventually will open their eyes to a modern type of communist society, when they are fed up with economic downturns/breakdowns.

Simon-
Nov 11 2011 02:07

pojo, on 09 November 2011 - 13:55, said:

Well, that is why I like Communism. Eventually, when communism is achieved there are no government, the people are the "government". Everyone has equal opportunities, wealth, rights etc. In other words, a far better solution than making the rich richer, and the poor poorer, like the economic-imperialist-USA,I think that people eventually will open their eyes to a modern type of communist society, when they are fed up with economic downturns/breakdowns.

Tried and Done. Human nature is too greedy for it to work on a national level, it can only be successful if like-minded individuals voluntarily join into a commune or cooperative. There is nothing the precludes this from happening within a capitalist system, and it does in many countries, but the unemployed/socialists are too busy holding pointless protests that nobody else agrees with than to actually create their own communes and live happily ever after.

Routerbad
Nov 21 2011 19:44

The idea behind scaling back government is to put more power in the hands of individuals. Don't get it twisted, government decides who wins and loses in the corporate world. Government subsidies, grants, and regulations of commerce, airwaves, food distribution, insurance, financial systems, automotive industry (CAFE standards) are tools the government uses to pick winners in the marketplace. What we need is a government that is not a consumer, only then will individuals have the ability to truly vote with their wallets to control the market.

Communism works very well on paper but the problem by and large is this: Without incentive to work hard why would you?

Hard work in a true free market society would be rewarded with improved livelihood and security, both physical and financial.

In a communist society the farmer is paid by the government no more than any other citizen, without regard to the success of his crop. What is his incentive to put any more work into his crop than he has to to meet whatever quota the government sets for him? Nothing. The only glue holding that system together is the fear of government intervention.

+Xinok
Nov 21 2011 21:26

Routerbad, on 21 November 2011 - 19:44, said:

only then will individuals have the ability to truly vote with their wallets to control the market.

You only need to look at the prescription drugs advertised on TV to see how flawed this idea is. Most people aren't doctors, they can't make informed decisions on products. You need government regulators who are experts and are working in the interest of the people to keep bad drugs off the market. The only time when the free market regulates itself is when a drug kills thousands of people, or an oil drill in the middle of the ocean explodes, creating the worst environmental disaster in history. Must we really wait for disaster to strike before the market regulates itself, before corporations improve safety standards?

The government is the regulator of corporations. The people need to be the regulator of the government.

acnpt
Nov 22 2011 20:13

Dan~, on 08 November 2011 - 08:03, said:

The UK government has the right amount of power, maybe too much because we are forced with absurd EU directives.

I'd say the benefits of the better EU directives outweigh the absurd (Many of which are spun by our press).
Take data protection, or the hra.

IMO the role of the government is to care/protect its citizens.
Self regulation by corporations has proven not to work, and in recent years corporations seem more 'anti-consumer' than ever.

Another thing, the lobbyist culture in the US is destroying the country.

kat_bg
Dec 07 2011 15:17

pojo, on 09 November 2011 - 13:55, said:

Well, that is why I like Communism. Eventually, when communism is achieved there are no government, the people are the "government". Everyone has equal opportunities, wealth, rights etc. In other words, a far better solution than making the rich richer, and the poor poorer, like the economic-imperialist-USA,I think that people eventually will open their eyes to a modern type of communist society, when they are fed up with economic downturns/breakdowns.

Sorry to say that you have not lived under communism. I did, and I can tell you that under a communist regime, the goverment has all the power! The so called "elected" officials are playing along with the President/First secretary/First citizen or whatever the title the dictator assumes for favors and/or a better life than the proles.
You have only the illusion that people have the power.

compl3x
Dec 10 2011 07:39

I think there is one problem which exists: the left doesn't appreciate the importance of the market and private enterprise and the right doesn't appreciate the importance role governments can play in regulation and oversight. Especially in America, where it seems the Left and Right have taken their respective political ideologies to extremes.

The Right thinks all regulation is bad and damages business, the Left wants so much regulation and bureaucracy the burden it places on some companies is overwhelming. There is a middle, it's just both sides have to admit the other does have some valid points about how the system has to be run..

I know the system is much more complicated than I might seem to be suggesting, and I'm certainly no political expert (then again, no one currently seems to be) but if you can't get over this fundamental obstacle then I fear things will only get worse.

Neowin

Where unprofessional journalism looks better.

Government too powerful?

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