There was always a tension in the United States over the concept of a
strong central government. Although we
gained independence in 1776, we operated as allied but sovereign states under
the articles of confederation until 1789.
A number of problems came up during those intervening years in terms of
both serious economic issues and the inability to mount a common defense. That is what finally proved to the majority
in the words of Benjamin Franklin that "We must all hang together, or assuredly we
shall all hang separately”.
The suspicion between the players in this game did not end
with the ratification of the Constitution.
Northerners had severe issues with the idea of Southerners keeping
slaves. As the years went on, this
became increasingly a sticking point between the Northern and Southern
states. This occurred in spite of the
fact that only about 23% of southern white families owned slaves. Rich southerners ginned up anti-northern
support under the banner of states rights, claiming that the North was forcing
its moral opinion down the throats of Southerners against their will.
Most Southerners probably would not have cared about
slavery, but the idea of having outsiders coming into their state and telling
them what is right and what is wrong was a bridge too far even for the
non-slave owning masses. The moral issue
here is that the root of the issue, slavery, is so horribly and undeniably
wrong from a moral standpoint. The
Northerners were right, and slavery did need to be eradicated. Sometimes when a wrong is being perpetrated
by another and the perpetrator will not own up to the immorality of his
position, then strong action is warranted.
In this case the necessary action was the Civil War.
Although the Civil War ended slavery in the United States ,
the distrust of the federal government continues among white southerners even
today. You still hear southern conservative
politicians describe the civil war as “the Yankee war of aggression” and even
hear the occasional talk of succession.
A more recent trend has been the distrust of government
coming not only from southern conservatives, but from civil libertarians and
even from the left side of the political spectrum. Much of this is rooted in the idea that
corporations and oligarchs are in control of the political process and that
government, especially at the federal level, is controlled by them.
Many people, especially on the far left, believe that almost
all corporations operate only for the purpose of greed, blind to their moral
responsibilities to the general public.
The truth is that some really are up to selfish nefarious stuff. One only needs to question the motivations of
the Koch brothers or Sheldon Adelson to see that.
But many companies operate out of a sort of ignorance. Their governing boards and CEO’s are
conscious only of what affects their stock price, and they are so removed from
the concerns of the public in general that the concerns of Main Street seem only like a distant
echo. These companies aren’t
nefarious. They are clueless.
The right wing press, such as talk radio and Fox news, has
latched on to this new audience for anti-government propaganda. They talk up people like Cliven Bundy praising
him as a hero for evading grazing fees on federal government land. I have to wonder how much of this we would
have heard had Mr. Bundy been black.
The right wing propagandists have long spouted their flawed belief that (to quote anti-tax nut Grover Norquist) government should be so small “we can drown it in the bathtub." But the new distrust from the left due to corporate money has given them a new angle, helping them to augment their cause which was born in southern distrust of northern government.
Our government is flawed, no doubt. It always has been. But compared with all the other
governments in the world it’s still pretty damned good. The policies of the federal government are
decided by the people we elect. I say do
not distrust the government. Weakening
the government weakens us as a nation and empowers corporations, theocrats and
others that would harm our rights, the environment, and our way of life.
We all need work within the system to bring about
change. Vote, and get everyone you know
to vote. Make sure you understand the
facts of every event and never let yourself get swayed by rhetoric. Do not get angry. Listen to BOTH sides of every issue and make
your vote based on what who you think will most closely support your
viewpoint. If we all do this, then the federal
government will be what it is supposed to be: A government of the people, by
the people and for the people.
