Do You Really Believe in a Limited Government; R. Rader

Randall R. Rader Is a philosophy of limited govern ment worth the worry? Last night, in an introspective moment, I was compelled to reevaluate that very question. I had just returned from an exhausting choir practice. My conscience felt a pang when my eyes fell on the unanswered letter from my parents. Lisa, my adopted black daughter, was loudly vocalizing her displeasure with the circumstances of the moment. Larke, the world's cutest four-year-old blonde, would not wait another minute for her nightly bedtime story. The open Sunday School manual on the kitchen table was a grim reminder that my lesson was not yet prepared. When would I have time to prepare it? Tomorrow my softball team en tered the all-day play-offs in the Mr. Rader is Legislative Counsel in the office of Congressman Philip Crane. morning and the evening featured another choir rehearsal. These vari ous demands converged on me in an instant. Just the thought of strain ing to reach another high A, compos ing letters to my parents, changing diapers, putting a new twist into the ~~Three Bears," searching for elusive Bible passages, or chasing fly balls in centerfield sent me stumbling for my easy chair. A philosophy of lim ited government is not easy to live.

Each of these demands is an in tegral part of my effort to live ac cording to principles of limited gov ernment. If an individual really shares Jefferson's view-~~That gov ernment is best that governs least" -he must make provision in his own life to take responsibility for essential services that government should not be allowed to monopolize. For example, no civilized society 31 32 THE FREEMAN January will deny that art is necessary to inspire and uplift the human mind and spirit. Therefore, if we citizens do not devote ourselves to creativity, the government will tax everyone (force us) to set up an agency to subsidize artists. But forced gov ernment programs cannot satisfy the real need for ennobling art. Creativity cannot be forced; artists need absolute freedom to develop sensitivity (often through Personal sacrifice) to the symbols and truths they elucidate. Hence, I sing tenor several nights a week on top of a cramped schedule.

Family Obligations No charitable society will allow the aged to suffer deprivations when they can no longer care for them selves. Therefore, if we do not care for our own parents or the elderly in our greater family units, the gov ernment will tax everyone (force us) to set up massive nursing home pro grams. But forced government pro grams cannot meet the real needs of the aged. Love cannot be forced; the elderly need the love and respect of their posterity as much as they need food and shelter. Hence, I must strengthen my ties to my own par ents. No enlightened society overlooks that counseling is necessary to train youth to accept responsibility. Therefore, if we do not see that our own children are schooled in the principles we have eXPerienced as the basis for worthwhile living, the government will tax everyone (force us) to subsidize mandatory counsel ing sessions for teenage youth. But forced government programs cannot meet the real needs of youth. Will to learn and desire to develop a well rounded attitude toward life cannot be forced; young People need the guidance of loving parents (long be fore they are teenagers) to instill this will far more than they need compulsory counseling.· Hence, Larke gets a nightly dose of love from her father.

No self-respecting society will deny that all men are of equal worth and deserve equal resPect. There fore, if we do not openly welcome 'all qualified citizens regardless of race into our civic associations, schools, and clubs, the government will tax everyone (force us) to bus students and institute civil rights lawsuits. But government cannot eliminate racial discrimination at all because by taking sides in any racial conflict it is giving the force of law to, and thereby perpetuating, distinctions based on race. Respect cannot be forced. The disadvantaged and mi norities want no special privileges; they want only to be welcomed as any other individual into those schools, clubs, and associations for which they qualify. Hence, Lisa gets exactly the same dose of love that Larke enjoys.

1980 00 YOU REALLY BELIEVE IN A LIMITED GOVERNMENT? 33 No merciful society will leave abandoned children without some means of support. Therefore, if we do not open our homes to parentless children, the government will tax everyone (force us) to create a na tional system of foster homes. But forced government programs cannot meet the real needs of parentless children. Parenting cannot be forced; these children need more than a bed and three meals a day. Hence, Lisa gets an affectionate kiss with every diaper change. Moral Standards No ethical society will refuse to accept that some moral standards are essential to its survival. There fore, if churches and families do not teach honesty, the government must tax everyone (force us) to set up expensi ve crime prevention pro grams or juvenile correction institu tions. But forced government pro grams cannot meet real needs of youth and mature alike for moral guidelines. Lasting respect for the property and persons of others can not be forced; youth and mature alike need motivating clergy and friends to care enough about them to present them with constructive al ternatives to destructive behavior.

Hence, my duty as a Sunday School teacher cannot be taken lightly. No humane nation wants to leave others to endure poor health, the specter of a life with pain. Therefore, if we do not eat correctly, exercise regularly, avoid harmful agents (cigarettes, narcotics, and the like) to remain healthy, the government will tax everyone (force us) to create an unwieldy national health pro gram. But forced government pro grams which treat people in bulk, instead of as individuals, cannot supply universal health. Good health habits cannot be forced; an end to pain cannot be legislated. As long as men are mortal, some will experience disease and misery. Gov ernment cannot prevent that. Indi viduals must, however, take pri mary responsibility for their own health, which includes practicing good health habits. Hence, softball season will be followed by basket ball for me. Individuals within societies, and hence societies themselves, have many legitimate needs. Therefore, if we do not make provision to meet our own personal needs first and then supply service to others (itself a primary personal need), the gov ernment will tax everyone (force us) to try to satisfy those needs. Al though its efforts are sincere and do apply a bandaid to deep wounds, government can never completely meet real needs. Lasting solutions are only realized when individuals learn to and acquire the strength to meet their own needs. This cannot be forced, only encouraged.

I am not suggesting that govern34 THE FREEMAN ment has no role in meeting individual/societal needs. Instead it should have a very limited role. It should be a last line of defense. If we profess a philosophy of lim ited government, we profess in the same breath a faith in unlimited personal responsibility. When I ar rived home last night, that thought made me tired. Yet everything Life's Deeper Meaning worth having in life must be earned: health, respect, creativity, friend ship, and so forth. Government can not meet the need because, in most instances, the need is for personal effort or activity or growth. If we do not believe in pervasive govern ment, we must believe in Pervasive individual, family, church, and community responsibility. ® IDEAS ON LIBERTY OUT of all these material gains none compares to the greater gain in finding that life is more than the bread and bed. This is what America stands for. There was much reward outside of material gain in the pioneer life of our forefathers. To be a good neighbor was rewarding. To be a responsible citizen brought recognition. The secret of our very successful youth agencies such as the Boy Scouts, the 4-H Clubs, the Future Farmers, and similar organizations may be that they recognize the worthiness of any achievement or the extra mile of any individual.

In a government-controlled system much of this may be lost, because why go an extra mile when some get rewards just because they exist as numbers? This is why we do not want a system of government where the State and its agents make the rules. But to avoid such an order for the masses, we must each of us become individuals who make it a part of our character to go the extra mile on every road and do every task beyond the call of duty, not just for a state or organization or institution or company, but for much more than these:-for the dignity of man and his chance to be worthy of being free to choose. The reward for the extra miles may come in promotions and increased pay, but more than such remunerations will be the compensation that will come out of the growing inward satisfaction and the respect and love of our neighbors. These gains must be earned. GEORGE D. SCARSETH, "That Extra Mile"