From the beginning of civilization, societies struggled with the balance between order and freedom. Nations rise and fall on the basis of how they manage power – whether it is about the centralized control of rich or the distributed authority of free markets and individual rights.
The United States are based on the radical idea that the government exists to secure the rights given by God, not to grant them. Nevertheless, over time, this vision is eroded by expanding bureaucracies, redistribution policy and a deep -rooted political class that prioritizing power over principle.
If the government has to be restored to its rightful place – serving instead of rule – the federal, national and local levels must be fundamentally restructured to give priority to freedom, responsibility and human bloom.
Milton Friedman argued that the role of the government should be limited to protecting life, freedom and property – everything that can best be left to markets and voluntary institutions. His work in Capitalism and freedom The matter determined for a minimalist government that promotes an environment where individuals can pursue their own goals without interference. He warned that economic freedom is a condition for political freedom – towards the government, control over the economy, it inevitably expands its reach to personal and political freedoms.
Despite these warnings, the federal government has far exceeded its constitutional boundaries.
Originally designed to be a government of listed powers, it now dictates everything, from how companies work to how education is managed. The centralization of power has eroded the economic dynamics that America made prosperous.
Friedrich Hayek’s The road to serf Warned that the government’s planning inevitably leads to the loss of individual choice and freedom, even when they are implemented with good intentions. The only legitimate functions of the federal government are national defense, ensure contracts and property rights and ensure a basic rule. Everything else is of states, local communities and, especially, individuals.
An important part of the government’s failure lies in its stimuli, as explained by the public selection theory of James Buchanan. Buchanan shattered the myth that politicians are selfless officials who act in the best interest of people.
Instead, he showed that they behave like everyone who works in their self-interest, looking for re-election and wages special interests that finance their campaigns. The bureaucratic class, in turn, benefits from expanding the government forces, creating a deep -rooted system that is opposed to reforms. This cycle of political self -preservation explains why expenditure continues to rise, why debts get out of hand and why special interest groups dominate the policy.
This dynamic is clear in the way in which government welfare programs are extensive outside their original goal. Social well -being, which was once dependent on private -loving institution, churches and mutual auxiliary associations, has been taken over by bureaucratic institutions that dehuman and anchor dependence.
Thomas Sowell, in Wealth, poverty and politicsProvided that government intervention in well -being does more harm than good by discouraging work and weakening the responsibility of the community. Politicians promise more benefits, knowing that dependence creates a voice block that guarantees their re -election. Private charges and churches, on the other hand, offer not only financial assistance, but also moral and social support that helps individuals regain independence.
Tax must be simplified and made transparent. The current system punishes productivity and disrupts economic stimuli by taxing income several times – when it is earned, invested and transferred by inheritance. This system is inherently unjust and rewards those who manipulate loops, while they invest those who work hard and wisely. Friedman’s idea of a permanent consumption tax remains the best alternative – the taxing of only definitive consumption instead of punishing savings and investments. Such a system would eliminate the complexity of the IRS, remove political favoritism in tax policy and make taxes more transparent.
Perhaps the most treacherous form of government control is the manipulation of money itself. The Federal Reserve was established to stabilize the economy, but has promoted Cycles of Boom and Buste instead through artificial credit expansion and reckless monetary policy.
Larry White, an expert in the field of free banking, has shown that historically competing banking systems without central banks have led to more stable monetary environments than centrally controlled Fiat currencies. Inflation, as Friedman has shown, is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon – not by companies or consumers, but by governments that expand the amount of money.
A healthy monetary system cannot be planned centrally, but must be rooted in free banking, where private institutions compete to give currency supported by tangible assets such as gold and silver. Honest Money keeps the government responsible by preventing these from making its way out of tax irresponsibility.
Federal regulations, another aid of the government bridging, disrupt markets and limit innovation. Free undertaking thrives when individuals are left to act and produce without bureaucratic interference. Most regulations do not protect consumers, but rather protect politically connected industries against competition. Licunals are particularly harmful and create barriers to access that harm employees disproportionately lower incomes who cannot afford expensive training requirements.
The work of Peter Boettke in the Austrian economy emphasizes that regulations are often the result of rent-seeking behavior-based companies use the government to protect themselves against competition instead of improving their products and services. A free society is based on contract enforcement and liability legislation instead of preventive government intervention.
Although federal over -range is the most visible threat to freedom, the state and local authorities also play a crucial role in preserving or eroding freedom.
States must serve as laboratories of competition, but many have replicated Washington’s worst policy, high taxes, difficult regulations and reckless expenses. The correct role of the state government is to protect ownership rights, to offer basic infrastructure and to maintain the right and order with minimal interference in economic affairs. Expenditure must be strictly limited, coupled with a maximum of population growth and inflation to prevent the gradual extension of the government.
At the local level, one of the most harmful taxes is the real estate tax, which effectively means that nobody can really have a house. Although states generally do not impose real estate tax, local governments trust it strongly because of excessive expenditure. Hayek emphasized that safe property rights are essential for economic stability and individual freedom.
Home ownership must be a cornerstone of financial independence, but real estate tax acts as a relentless rent paid to the government, making real property impossible. Local governments must define real estate tax by rejecting expenses and switching to users where necessary. This requires a reining in the expenditure of the school district, municipal pension costs and blown up local bureaucracies that stimulate the property tax higher year after year.
Education policy is another area where the constitutional and local authorities have not maintained individual rights. The government monopoly on training has led to decreasing quality, ideological indoctrination and bureaucratic inefficiency. The only way to ensure quality education is through choice, whereby financing follows students instead of supporting failing systems.
Sowell’s research into education emphasizes how competition between schools improves performance, while centralized control promotes mediocrity. Universal Education Savings Accounts would enable parents to select the best option for their children, whether it is public, private, charter or home school.
The ultimate goal of governance should be to create an environment in which people are free to make their own choices and to take responsibility for their own lives. Human nature is deeply poor and no government can create a utopia. But history has shown that the freestest societies are the most prosperous and that prosperity is not only material but moral.
Sowell reminds us that cultures that emphasize personal responsibility and entrepreneurship perform better than those who rely on government intervention. Social societies thrive when individuals are allowed to exercise personal responsibility, build strong families and become voluntary cooperation instead of forced redistribution.
This vision is not only rooted in economic theory, but also in theology, psychology and legislation.
Theologically, human dignity is best stored when individuals are free to act as moral agents instead of topics of the state. Psychology teaches that people thrive when they have autonomy and goal instead of dependence and law. The rule of law, as articulated in the Western legal tradition, confirms that justice requires equal application instead of any government decision.
A really free society does not require a powerful state, but rather the opposite: a government that stops so that individuals, families and communities can flourish without interference. The road to prosperity is not in central planning, but in individual freedom, responsibility and voluntary cooperation that has always made progress. The task is not to reinvent the government, but to restore it to the rightful place – limited, responsible and subordinate to people.
Only then can we really let people bloom.
Vance Ginn, Ph.D.is President of Ginn Economic Consulting, host of the Let People Porsper Show, and previously the most important economist of the Omb of the Trump Witte Huis. Follow him on X.com @Vanceninn.