According to Adam Smith and Thomas Jefferson at the founding of the United States, government's role was as an umpire. Individuals were considered sovereign . People were considered responsible for their own fate. The Great Depression of the 1930s changed that position when free market capitalism was wrongfully blamed. In truth the depression was caused by the government's carelessness with money - which the government had control over from the start of the Republic. People forgot the danger to individual freedoms outlined in the constitution if government were to be given more power. Instead, people asked for more government control through laws and regulation which in returned limited economic and political freedom. Milton Friedman warned us in his book "Free to Choose" that if we continue to grant more power to government, to enslave the people as civil servants in order to spend money larger fractions of their income to supposedly benefit them, then sooner or later big government will destroy the prosperity that comes with a free market and the freedoms proclaimed in the Constitution.
Unfortunately Friedman's words seem to have been forgotten or overlooked. With each election that passes citizens of the United States vote for their economic and political freedom to be taken away. The state of this country is the result of the citizens limiting themselves to an overpowering government run by a two party system which has allowed crony capitalism and the shift towards socialism-which is ultimately complete government control and the end to individual sovereignty. Right now we stand at a pivotal moment in time. Will we continue to vote for masters or will we chose to reclaim individual sovereignty? Can we break the two party system? Is it too late?
I ask these questions because it is clear to me that government is not the answer. The United States seemed to have prospered before government took control of much of our lives through the distortion of capitalism and the limitations place on the preexisting free market economy. It is clear the two party system is not working. It is clear individual freedom is dwindling do to licensing, laws, and regulations. Personally, I would like to see the citizens of this country have their freedom back. Be more self-reliant and less reliant on the government.