by Bryce Shonka
Many of us, after years of indoctrination at our government schools, were left with a sense that there is a great government force working hard every day to protect us and look after our best interest. We were told that government standards keep us safe from disease, that government highway regulations keep us safe from car accidents, that federal agencies make sure that the food we eat will be healthy.
The result of all of this? Americans everywhere drive more carelessly, do not research what they put on their plate and take medications that leave them sicker, rather than healthier.
For government officials, free from the scrutiny of the free market and any sort of competition, they typically have one primary goal once they have obtained their coveted position of power- to retain that power and gain even more. This is a simple fact of human nature, that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
A great example is the Food and Drug Administration, which after obtaining the confidence of the republic’s masses has been responsible for regular introduction of medications that maim and even kill those who trust it’s oversight. This is hardly surprising when one considers that many FDA regulators were installed after terms as drug company lobbyists. Likewise, Federal officials entrusted with America’s food supply have allowed the greatest food experiment in the history of mankind- the use of Genetically Modified crops.
The dangers of this veil of protection not only enables Americans to become ignorant, mindless sheep but also allows the growth of power, as recently seen with the Federal forays into finance and medical care.
Those who seek the protective hand of big brother pay a high price as they trust their quality of life to a largely self serving group of legislators. If the goal is a better quality of life, the solution is simple: more responsibility and less government involvement.
Bryce Shonka [send him email] is the State Chapter Coordinator for the California Tenth Amendment Center. He also serves as the Media and Grassroots Director for the National Tenth Amendment Center. He resides in Los Angeles, CA.