What is it about spending less and limiting government influence that has so many politicians scared?

For those in power, it’s the only thing they have to fear.

The established order by which we are ruled fears anyone who seeks to limit its control. The control of this political and corporate elite is consolidated with every dollar the government spends, every institution it creates and every war it wages.

The concept that we are ruled by a representative government that acts on our behalf is little more than a façade to legitimize the decisions made by our ruling elite – decisions that almost always benefit themselves.

No matter who is in charge – Democrat or Republican – spending increases, government influence grows and policies are implemented to aid big businesses.

You can see it in the tax code, which so unbelievably favors the super wealthy and, despite constant lip service by politicians, never gets fixed. The richest pay the least.

You can see it with all of the major banks and corporations sustained by public subsidies that are immediately bailed out in a time of crisis while average Americans and their small businesses are left to suffer.

If you look hard enough, you will find plenty more examples that show the simple truth: We are ruled by a government of the rich and for the rich.

Many Americans realize this fact. Some accept it as the way things are. Some say it’s good because this concentration of wealth will somehow trickle down. Some say it’s an injustice brought on by the evils of capitalism.

The fact of the matter is, American capitalism today can barely be considered capitalism at all.

In a true capitalist society, there is fair competition among businesses, which succeed based on the quality of their product or service. If they fail, a better business comes along and takes its place.

Through modern “capitalism,” fair competition is scarce. The businesses that succeed are those that government policies favor. If they fail, the government lends them a hand.

Government also harms the economy and distorts capitalism by expanding into roles better left to charities, businesses and individuals.

This expansion “is sucking the life out of the private economy and creating a top-down bureaucratic society that is alien to American traditions,” according to a July report by the Cato Institute.

Americans are constantly coerced into believing that every function their government provides is one they cannot live without.

The fact is, there are few things the government does that cannot be done better by the private sector.

It’s no secret that any government project results in tons of wasted and mismanaged resources.

More jobs and a more efficient use of resources aren’t the only benefits of transferring wealth out of the government sector and into the private sector.

Without unnecessary federal programs and the rules and regulations they usually bring, people could maintain more control in their lives and enjoy more civil liberties.

Economic freedom, which has a positive correlation with civil liberties, longer life spans and lower poverty, has been steeply declining in the United States for more than a decade, according to “Economic Freedom of the World: 2013 Annual Report.”

The biggest factors for this weakening in economic freedom are more regulation and increased spending.

Still, the government feverishly continues its rampant spending, despite the fact that such spending limits both economic and personal freedoms, harms the economy, spurs unemployment and increases poverty.

Are we really supposed to believe this is all for our own good?

At some point, we have to realize that government is the problem, and not the answer.

Nick Smith is a senior broadcast and digital journalism major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at nxsmith@syr.edu and followed on Twitter at @Nick_X_Smith.

Published on October 21, 2013 at 1:41 am