American government went wrong. But how?

This is about the fundamental problems of this country. The premise, however, is NOT about whether the main problems of the United States of America are inequality, starvation, poverty, illiteracy, discrimination, war, rape, murder, assault, theft, political dishonesty, divorce or illegal drugs. And there may be more. These are problems and they are serious.

These and other lesser problems have never been absent in history and never will disappear. As to whether they are more severe and impact more people than they should there is little dispute. However no single one of these explains the enormity of the total destructive effect of the rest. Much could be done to lessen the above problems, but they will always be with us, and they don’t constitute the big underlying problem.

Understanding the fundamental problem will help explain why all of these other problems are as severe as they are, and point the way to minimizing or alleviating most of them.

What is the fundamental problem then?

First some clues. How close to your ideal is our society, and what factors need to be examined?

1. The objectivity of our laws – legislating simple, well-publicized rules that protect our rights and enable us to know what government might do in most all situations, OR making laws that increase government power, delegating police and court powers to regulators who impose rules and punishments cannot easily be foreseen.

2. The example set by leaders and other major public figures – inspiring us all to being productive and voluntarily helping the least well off or dissembling, buying favor, selling influence, legalizing theft, punishing victimless crimes, etc. – “Why can’t I steal and cheat a little, too?”

3. Incentives that are built into our laws, encourage either a flourishing independence or a dependency on government and major efforts to circumvent laws instead of being more productive. An independent and neutral government which allows a vigorous economy to invent and create solutions to problems that arise to reduce the burden of labor, cure diseases, generate wealth that increases capital to create new jobs, support the arts and aid the hungry and poor, or a state which uses force to achieve environmental and welfare goals.

4. The scope of domains for which the majority may vote new laws – restricted to affirming and protecting all human rights and liberties, or unlimited democracy has replaced liberty as our chief value.

5. Overlooking to fact that 300 million people have 300 million potentially different dreams of the good life. This is replaced by regarding it as one homogeneous aggregate, leading to the perception or belief that society and the way life within it is organized is basically simple, and as a result, can be radically designed or at least continually adjusted and micromanaged toward some optimal state that is predeterminable through foresight and reason.

We need an independent and neutral government which allows (does not promote, but just freely permits) a vigorous economy to invent and create solutions to problems that arise to reduce the burden of labor, cure diseases, generate wealth that increases capital to create new jobs, does not interfere with the arts and aid the hungry and poor. We do not want a state which uses force to achieve environmental and welfare goals.

I think that also was the vision of our Founding Fathers, with the exception of the Tories like Alexander Hamilton. Unfortunately, from day one, a quiet war has been running between those who support the vision of liberty and those who want a nanny state.