The Consequences of Government Intervention

      Last time I ended with the following conclusion: "The
ideal government limits its intervention to protecting life, liberty
and property.  Everything that government does that interferes
with the freedom to produce and trade makes us less productive
and less satisfied."  This conclusion deserves some fleshing out
and expansion.  Here we go.

     When government steps beyond protecting against
aggression it becomes the aggressor.  Government's only tool is
"Do it my way, or I will hurt you."  Making this threat against a
peaceful person is aggression.  Where can we turn for protection
against government aggression?

     Beyond protecting against aggressors all that government
can do is attempt to aggressively increase the satisfaction of
some at the expense of others.  "Common good" is as imaginary
as unicorns.  A common good would increase the satisfaction of
everyone.  Why would anyone object?  People object to the
actions of government because they believe those actions will
reduce satisfaction.

     Even government actions against aggressors decrease the
satisfaction of the aggressors.  Most people don't object because
they believe that reducing the satisfaction of aggressors is a good
thing.  Yes, this is a value judgment.  It is a value judgment that
has born the test of time.  It is shared by most people, at least
when the aggression is pointed at them.

     Everything we do can be traced back to a value
judgment.  The most we can hope for is shared values that tend
to benefit everyone.  There will always be friction between
people with different values.  If the differences are great enough,
violent conflict becomes inevitable.

     This is why there is violent conflict between hard core
Moslems, moderate Moslems, and most of the rest of the world. 
The only way this conflict can end is for someone to change
their values.  A peaceful, productive society is impossible where
significant numbers of individuals with serious value conflicts
interact with each other.

     Government is the power of the rulers to forcibly impose
their will by  threatening "Do it my way, or I will hurt you." 
When government uses this threat against peaceful people, the
most it can accomplish is to increase the satisfaction of some at
the cost of increasing the misery of others.  The least
government can accomplish is make everyone more miserable. 
In the long run this is the inevitable consequence of any all
powerful government.

     It is also inevitable that those who gain increased
satisfaction will be the powerful along with their supporters and
friends.  The weak and uninterested always suffer a decrease in
satisfaction.

     Generally, we shouldn't blame the weak and uninterested
for not fighting back.  Suppose that every year someone smashes
one of your windows.  You spend $100 to replace it.  Would
you be better off spending $10,000 on a security system to
protect your $100 windows?

     This is how all special interests use "Do it my way, or I
will hurt you" government to rip off everyone else.  No one
special interest costs the average person enough to justify the
cost of fighting back.  Did you ever notice how when proposing
a new intervention government and the special interests
commonly point out how the intervention will only cost each
person a few dollars?

     This brings to mind an old proverb about straws and
camels.   Each intervention only slightly diminishes the
satisfaction of most people.  Most people complain a bit and
adjust to living with a little less satisfaction.  Soon they forget
the satisfaction they lost.  It is even easier for the next
generation ignore the destroyed satisfaction.  They never
experienced it.

     Collectively these interventions will eventually destroy
most satisfaction for most people.  At some point the
government of a miserable, apathetic population will collapse for
lack of resources and support.  Will the citizens of the US draw
a line and fight back against satisfaction destroying government
interventions, or will they be content to go the way of all past
civilizations?

aldmccallum@gmail.com
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Copyright 2013
Albert D. McCallum