A Look At Limited Government

We must reject big government because of the sinfulness of humanity.  Politicians or any people can't be trusted with too much power.  We need to have limited government, so what does it look like?

Government should be as localized as possible.  It should be concentrated more at the state and local level, closer to the people.  The federal government should defend the country, maintain order, provide justice, and restrain evil.  There should be punishment for evildoers and freedom for those not doing evil.  There needs to be limits on the power of government, separation of powers, and a system of checks and balances. 

People often mistakenly think that if there is a problem in society then the government must take care of it.  But there are many things government cannot do because it was not meant to do those things.  It is helpful for people to distinguish between government and society.  Many things should be handled by society but not the government.  Things such as helping the poor and needy can best be handled by churches, charities, and other private organizations.  Government should not be involved in welfare, health care, and retirement programs.  Government schools are also a problem because they tend to give in to the temptation to indoctrinate children with ideas it favors. 

We need what has been called ordered liberty.  We need to have the smallest government possible.  Freedom needs to be maximized but a certain level of government is still required.  Freedom requires virtue from the people, because vice destroys freedom.  People cannot be allowed to harm other people or society.  There should be equality before the law for all people.  But we should not try to guarantee equal results for people. 

With freedom people can use their God given gifts and abilities.  People and society can prosper and flourish.  Religion also can flourish when it is free from government interference and control. 

I believe that for ordered liberty to succeed as our governing philosophy we need to have a Biblical foundation.  Without the proper foundation government will not be limited and people will not be free.