Published: July 30, 2009 06:07 pm         

The harm of government overreach

Things are moving fast in Washington. And they’re moving in the wrong direction.

It seems that our government is determined to fix America’s problems by expanding its reach into our lives. We see it in the economy, the auto industry, the environment and most recently health care. And I’m concerned that by increasing its influence and size in an effort to improve our lives, the federal government will reap more harm than good.

For me, it all comes down to what contributes to human thriving. The viewpoints I have, the values I hold and the policies I support are all about what social science and common sense suggest will lead to human wellbeing, contribute to the common good and reduce human suffering. In other words, the principles and values I hold dear do not exist for their own sake; rather, they exist for people’s sake.

That is no small distinction. There are those who seemingly care more about their ideology, values and principles than they do people. For them, people serve their values, not the other way around. I have to admit that I have been guilty of this myself. (A side note: this is the very thing that Jesus hammered the Pharisees about when He said, “The Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath.”) I believe there are moral absolutes but try to remember - to varying degrees of success - that those moral absolutes serve the best interests of people.

Now, the reason I mention “thriving” is because I believe that this is what everyone wants: they want to thrive. And by “thrive” I don’t necessarily mean “wealth.” To strictly reduce our thriving to an issue of wealth is to reduce people to the material and ignore other issues related to human dignity, such as…

our desire for meaningful relationships

our desire for purpose

our desire to enjoy the fruits of our labor

our desire to know that the wellbeing of someone or the success of something depends - to a significant degree - on us



This is not to minimize the importance of the material and of material need. Abject poverty is the source of very real human suffering and should be of great concern to each and every one of us. But it can be said with certainty that there are many wealthy people who are not thriving and many poor who are, when measured against the desires I’ve just listed - a sure sign that human flourishing is about more than how much money one has.

But all of this begs a question: What are the conditions that lead to human thriving?

While there are many predictors of success and thriving, a few things stand out as being most important. Research strongly suggests that family structure and stability is a huge factor. In many previous columns, I’ve laid out the case for the connection between family stability and human thriving - so I won’t do so again here. Suffice to say marriage matters not just because our moral or religious beliefs say it does, but because we know that humanity benefits when men and women commit to one another and to their children.

We need to look at other issues the same way we do at marriage. We ought to be looking at issues like free markets and limited government through the lens of human thriving.

Appropriately regulated free markets matter because they offer the richest set of opportunities for people to achieve their potential and to know the freedom of self-sufficiency and meaningful responsibility. Free markets also serve us well because they channel self-interest (and flawed human nature) into productive activities by forcing it to respond to the self-interest of others.

Limited government is much more preferable because, as European socialism has demonstrated, an overreaching government disrupts the ties that bind us together, hinders compassionate collaboration at the community level and suppresses the charitable impulse of individuals. In other words, when government takes on more responsibility, we take less responsibility for others because we can.

Many on the left mistake good intentions for sound public policy. The best example of this is President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” which was a practical failure. Poverty won the war and cost the country over $1 trillion without fixing the problem. Another example that indicts both the left and the right is no-fault divorce. Signed into law in states all across the country in the early 70s, the law was said to offer protection to women and children in particular. Rather than helping, it left both women and children more vulnerable to poverty and suffering.

There are many other examples. But as I have pointed out previously, one of the greatest threats to the wellbeing of Americans is President Obama’s effort to reform the healthcare system. A massive new healthcare program will lead to enormous government spending while giving the government an unfair advantage as the competitor who also makes the rules. This will result in a monopoly position as the only viable healthcare provider. It also will likely lead to rationing where bureaucrats, not doctors, determine what type of care a patient gets, while increasing waiting times for people to see surgeons, specialists, and even general practitioners.

In countries with socialized healthcare, like Canada and Great Britain, the odds of surviving cancer and other life-threatening diseases is much less than the United States. This is in part because of the wait-list for treatment, but also because patients have no options for cutting-edge treatment. It is simply too expensive for the government to fund.

It’s certainly possible that proponents of state-run healthcare have good intentions, but good intentions are no substitute for reasonable and well thought out public policies. A state-run healthcare system will lead to greater suffering and actually detract from human well-being.



Georgia Family Council is a non-profit research and education organization committed to fostering conditions in which individuals, families and communities thrive. For more information, go to www.georgiafamily.org, (770) 242-0001, [email protected].

     

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