As a political science major, I’ve gone through the John Locke talk multiple times: social contract theory says that we enter into a social contract to be governed so we may have our liberties protected. Locke wrote in his Second Treatise of Government “Wherever, therefore, any number of men so unite into one society, as to quit everyone his executive power of the law of Nature, and to resign it to the public, there, and there only, is a political or civil society.” In other words, to be a civil society we give up a little freedom. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t survive in a state of nature, so I like having a government.
Present-day “libertarians” now go beyond valuing liberty and delve into extremism. Libertarian groups on campus will have posters that say “taxation is theft” and “big government sucks.” Never mind that we’re all attending a public university, funded by tax payer dollars and subsidized by government loans and aid. Others will have signs that say “safe spaces are for children,” even though “safe spaces” have little to do with policy and may sometimes be necessary for people with mental health struggles.
Catchy phrases are fun, but let’s look at the ways government benefits us every day. When we wake up, we use water that is clean as a result of federal safety regulation. We drive on roads and bridges funded by the government. If you’re like me, you go to school at a public university that is much cheaper than private colleges and you likely are able to go to college because of the 12 years of free public education you received before hand. Maybe you receive health care that is provided or subsidized by the government. Maybe you’re working a job to get through school that pays a higher minimum wage because of government regulation. And when you’re eating lunch around people of different races, cultures, and nationalities, remember that it was “big government” in the 1960s that forced integration and, thankfully, pushed America forward into positive social change.
Does wasteful spending exist? Yes. Does government ever overstep its bounds? Sure. But advocating for borderline anarchy may not be the most reasonable way to preserve liberty. As a part of living in a civilized society, we give things up. We don’t run naked down the street (at least you probably shouldn’t), we don’t drive 100 miles per hour down a street lined with children and pets (you definitely shouldn’t), and we don’t get to benefit from government without paying in. Lowering taxes is a legitimate argument, but do away with them isn’t. Likewise, arguing for ways to make government smaller and increase personal liberty is a legitimate argument, but making government out to be pure evil is wrong.
Government can make our lives better and we shouldn't be blind to that reality.
