by Christopher Inks

Created on: July 01, 2009   Last Updated: July 04, 2009

Though manipulation of society is commonplace among governments, whether they be Democratic, Collectivist, Totalitarian, or otherwise, it should never be tolerated. Individuals must always remain vigilant in the protection of their neighbor's liberty, for that is the only way to ensure their own. The dirty truth is that when people lobby for government manipulation it is usually done for one of only two reasons: 1.) the law being considered will give them a significant advantage over their counterparts or 2.) it will force others to live their lives as the lobbyist sees fit.

Neither of these constitutes an acceptable excuse for government intervention and manipulation. Liberty is the ability to make decisions concerning one's own life and accepting the responsibility for these decisions. As long as the individual is not infringing on those same rights of his or her neighbor, then government should not be intervening.

This abuse of power is becoming more difficult to curb with every passing day, however, as people have learned that if they claim the proposed legislation is for the "betterment of society", then most of their contemporaries will accept this excuse without fully considering the ramifications of what they are allowing.

Who gets to decide what "morals" society should be forced to live by? And what makes one person's "morals" higher than another's? By allowing government to force others to do what he or she wants, the lobbyist is also giving the government the ability to do the same to them. At no time in history has any government ever resisted the opportunity to usurp more power. Given a foot, they will always take a mile.

Unfortunately, the only time the full scope of this reality becomes apparent to those advocating government manipulation is when their own rights are infringed upon. Then instead of working to repeal the over-reaching legislation that was passed in the first place, they do everything they can to pass even more legislation, and this cycle continues; each party using the government as a tool to Lord over the personal lives of their neighbor.

In the end, the only true winner in this scenario is the government. With each passing law this leviathan increases its size, scope, and power. It reaches its tentacles ever deeper into the personal lives of every man, woman, and child, making sure to take from them their last vestiges of liberty, until all that is left is a society of slaves. And where, I ask, is the morality in slavery?

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