No this is not a theological essay. But I can go there if you want me to.
I am constantly amazed at the blind faith that so many people have in government. Government can and does make colossal mistakes. So do businesses, charities, and religious organizations but the big difference is that these other institutions are not monopolies. A business does you wrong and you move on. A government does you wrong and you have no choice but to get in line again.
The post office has stolen from me. I ordered a lamp and did not check the shipper. When it did not arrive I found out that it was shipped USPS the monopoly bureaucracy. By their own website I was able to track the shipment to the local postal station. At that point it disappears never delivered. I called the office and later submitted a postal theft complaint form. Nothing. Not even the courtesy of an acknowledgement.
CalTrans is risking lives. Sherry and I just returned from a trip to Spokane. Traveling I-5 in the summer is always a challenge. I appreciate that summer is the best time for road work but I also see how CalTrans is not held accountable for its errors. Too often there were road work warning signs with no road work in progress. Its like the little boy crying wolf. After a few of these false warnings no one slows down until you see the flashing lights of the CHP. At midnight Sunday night we were stopped twice north of Sacramento for road work. Both times it was unclear when the lane was going to end or even which lane was ending. Once we stopped and got in the traffic grid we felt safe but the abrupt transition from full speed to stopped traffic was dangerous. I now read that 3 people died at that construction zone on Monday. The government is blaming some high speed trucker. I know better. Neither the trucker nor other drivers were given adequate information on what was ahead.
TSA is an invasion of privacy. The Bill of Rights are suspended now when you enter an airport. Not only are weapons banned but also free speech, and the right to make a grievance. Everyone has a story of a pointy thing or some liquid that accidentally made it through TSA’s barriers. It is clear to me that our troops clearing out terrorist camps and the terrorists’ knowledge that we passengers will not go down without a fight deserve all the credit for ending hijacking attempts on American aircraft. TSA is the classic emperor with no clothes. We all know they achieve nothing but embarrass law abiding travelers however, do not dare to saw that out loud. I fully expect to be pull aside for a ‘random’ search on my next flight because I put this in writing.
DMV tampers with identity. After I left the Board of Equalization I sent in a change of address form for my drivers license. That was March of 2010. I have never heard from them. My license is not only wrong but I am not sure where DMV is sending renewal information. So last January I emailed the Director trying to pull a few strings. He did respond to say he would look into it. I have never heard from him again. I assume they lost the form I mailed in. But there is only one office to go to to get a drivers license so I will some day soon be back with the another form.
Which brings me back to my question of the day: why do so many people have such blind faith in government? I argued with a friend last month on how charities do a better job of serving poor people than government welfare. He could not grasp the concept of a government without a welfare office. By the way he also thought there was too much welfare spending but he was unclear on how or where to cut it back.
There are horror stories like these in every area of government from federal to state to local. Government should be the institution of last resort because when we turn a challenge over to government we also give up the right to choose alternatives. And because it is a monopoly we often give up other freedoms as well as choices. Next time someone declares ‘There ought to be a law’ ask them to explain what in their experience with government gives them the confidence and faith that that new law will be implemented at all? The Bill of Rights did not grant any rights to Americans since we already hold them all. The Bill of Rights limited the powers of government against a fear that government without limits would ruin us all.