Previously, I referred to government as a malevolent force; now I call it evil. It is however a necessary evil because it’s better than the alternative, which is anarchy. Since government is an evil force, we should have as little of it as possible, only enough to protect us from foreign and domestic violence and to preserve our liberty.

American cemetery in Normandy

Some readers have questioned my use of the term evil. Following is my lifetime of experiences with government. You judge if they qualify as evil.

• I was born while my father was fighting in WWII; he also fought in Korea. Both wars (as well as WWI) resulted from government ineptitude. American WWII casualties were 407,000 killed and 671,000 wounded. Worldwide 60 million died, all preventable. My father was away at war during half of my first 10 years.
• For 12 years I was the victim of an execrable education in wretched government schools. Any learning that took place was purely incidental.
• I have been subject to a mind-numbing array of taxes, including at one time an income tax with a 94% bracket. Government at all levels takes 40% in taxes.
• Government mismanagement of the economy unleashed numerous economic cycles, bubbles, busts, panics and meltdowns. The Federal Reserve once jacked up interest rates to over 20% to fix the 15% inflation it caused.
• It costs $20,000 to buy what cost $1,000 when I was born: inflation of 2,000%.
• The government-promulgated disaster that was the Vietnam War discombobulated my life and required me to serve in the armed forces.
• I owned a highly regulated business for 35 years and was subject to a Kafkaesque wasteland of arcane and conflicting government regulations that helped no one.
• Out of control government spending, debt and deficits will result in the greatest economic and social disaster in US history. Incredibly, government has managed to bankrupt the most prosperous nation in the history of this planet.
• I only narrowly escaped the Obamacare death panels, but am still at risk for rationing and denial of care under a future single payer system.

Government has bankrupted the most prosperous nation in the history of Earth.

Private Sector Advances

Let’s contrast the above government horrors with the progress made by the private sector over the same time horizon.

• Medical and dental treatment has improved immeasurably. When I was young there was little doctors could do except palliative care. President Coolidge’s son got a blister playing tennis; it became infected and he died within a week. There was nothing doctors could do. Going to the dentist was to be feared.
• The progress in pharmaceuticals has been breathtaking. Most diseases are curable and gene therapy is a reality.
• Computers did not exist in 1943. Today’s smartphones contain thousands of times the computing power used on lunar missions – and at ridiculously low prices.
• Consumer electronics have made amazing progress. When I was young, there were only 3 channels of TV on a 9-inch screen with fuzzy reception and broadcasting limited hours. Today many hundreds of channels are available in high definition with over 125,000 movies available on demand 24/7.
• We have advanced from propeller planes to walking on the moon .
• The quality of all goods – particularly cars – has improved. Food now is but a small part of most family budgets. The cost of most goods in real terms has plummeted.
• Capitalism has eliminated poverty, hunger and homelessness except for those with untreated mental illness. See my 2/18/24 post on my website: www.mllg.us.

Government Versus Markets

During my lifetime, government has brought mostly grief and failure, whereas free market capitalism has produced miracles. Government is not based on markets; it is top-down, highly coercive and ignores consumer preferences. It is antithetical to human nature. Waste, fraud, abuse and corruption are endemic. Government failure is systemic, structural, ingrained and incapable of reform.

Free market capitalism succeeds because it properly aligns personal rewards, risks and incentives with the goals of the business; it is in sync with (not opposed to) human nature. There also are immediate and consequential personal costs of failure. Capitalism attracts those who are hard working and receptive to risk, whereas government attracts those who are risk averse and value security over opportunity.

Is Government Evil?

Dictionaries define evil as: (1) something that brings sorrow, distress or calamity; (2) suffering, misfortune and wrongdoing; (3) wicked or dishonorable; (4) capable of harm and (5) having undesirable or negative qualities.

Government comports squarely with the above definition. The drafters of our Constitution understood government was capable of great harm; that’s why they created a republic with separation of powers and numerous checks and balances. However, as I wrote at the beginning of this post, you may judge for yourself.

© 2024 George Noga
More Liberty – Less Government, Post Office Box 916381
Longwood, FL 32791-6381, Email: mllg@cfl.rr.com