Use a scalpel, not a saw, to cut government

I recently attended a Ron Paul rally and it was an interesting event to be sure. However, there was one particular message he repeated over and over again that has me a bit troubled.

Often Paul would mention that the only way government can have any money is to steal it or that a government has nothing to do with enacting policies or the taxes to fund them.

This is troubling to me because it seems to miss one of the main cornerstones of our government, and that is to provide services and protection for its people. This rhetoric pitting the people versus the government is very harmful because it moves the frame of discussion from “how can I change my government for the better,” as would be expected in a republic, to “how can I fight the government.”

The government is for the people by the people. I agree with Paul that interest groups have hijacked our government from the popular will of the people. That doesn’t mean we need to enact a scorched earth policy, especially when it would harm many Americans in the process — particularly those Americans who live in states that require large sums of federal dollars to function and maintain their infrastructure, like Idaho.

This coming election should be an interesting one, but let us not forget, we can cut out the government, even large bits of it, but we need to use a scalpel or laser, not a chainsaw.

JASON BENELL

Sandpoint