Lately, I have had a desire to read books concerning the founding of America, as an effort to understand the vision our Founding Fathers had for this country. Currently, I am reading "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine. Next I hope to tackle "Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith (my college freshman/American Heritage self would be astounded by such talk!). Here are a few captions I have found interesting so far:
"...Government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one..."
"Here then is the origin and rise of government; namely, a mode rendered necessary by the inability of moral virtue to govern the world; here too is the design and end of government, viz. freedom and security."
"I draw my idea of the form of government from a principle in nature, which no art can overturn, viz. that the more simple any thing is, the less liable it is to be disordered, and the easier repaired when disordered..." (When I read this, I thought of this.)
It is interesting to think about government in this way- as a necessary evil that's sole existence is to offer us freedom and security. More and more I feel our society is viewing government as a parent figure that should be regulating every aspect of our life. And lately I feel the government is more than happy to step in and regulate any aspect of our life that we'll let it.
What do you think?
I love your blog Gina. I really like how you express yourself so well, and I appreciate your comments on the purpose of government, the value of home-decoration, and especially healthcare reform. Of course, we have been discussing how incredibly horrible the healthcare "socialist" reform would be if the bill were to actually pass...apparently less than half of americans approve, and it seems that congress and the house are trying to put on the brakes and take a close look at the details of this 1.5 trillion dollar proposal. Of course, there is a definite need for more affordable health insurance for many people, but this is not it. It's a complex situation. For one, let's talk about tort reform so that doctors wouldn't have to have such ridiculously high malpractice insurance. Not to mention all the unnecessary tests/labs/procedures they have to frequently order simply to "cover their bases" (so they don't get sued). A lot of doctors have become paranoid. Greg saw a young guy die in St. Louis from a brain bleed that would have been *easily* fixed in Illinois (where he was flown from). If there had been a neurosurgeon at the hospital in Illinois, he would have survived. However, neurosurgeons have been driven out of the state of due to these very issues. Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteThose are some great points. The system isn't working, and doctors are like puppets in all of this. No doubt things need to be changed, but what frustrates me, is that Barack Obama talks as if socialized medicine is the only solution.
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