Since the dawn of civilization, society has been working on a balance between order and freedom. The state rises based on the way power is managed through centralized control of the empire, through the power of free markets and decentralized rights of individual rights.
The United States was founded on the radical notion that government exists to secure God-given rights. Over time, however, this vision has been eroded by expanding the political class of entertainment that prioritizes power over bureaucracy, redistributive policies, and principles.
If government is restored to a legitimate location – serving rather than adjudication – federal, state and local levels must be restructured on grounds to prioritize freedom, responsibility and human prosperity.
Milton Friedman argued that the role of government should be limited to protecting life, freedom and property – everything else is best left to the market and voluntary institutions. His work in capitalism and freedom set the claims of minimalist governments that n environments where individuals could pursue their Goven goals without intervention. He warned that economic freedom is a prerequisite for political freedom – when government controls the economy, it expands its scope to personal and political freedom.
Leaving these warnings, the federal government is far beyond STIS constitutional restrictions.
Originally designed to be the government of the powers listed, it now decides everything from how business is run to how education is managed. The centralisation of power erodes the economic dynamism that made America flourish.
Friedrich Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom warned that even if government plans are turned into good trans, they will inevitably lead to the loss of individual choice and freedom. The only legitimate functions of the federal government are national defense, security contracts, property rights and the rensing of fundamental rule of law. Everything else belongs to the state, the community, and most important individuals.
As explained in James Buchanan’s Theory of Public Choice, an important part of government failure lies in the appeal. Buchanan shattered the myth that politicians are selfless civil servants who act in the best interests of the people.
I have demonstrated that they act like others for their own benefit, seeking reelection, and repaying the special benefits that fund their campaigns. The bureaucratic class benefits from expanding government power and creating entertainment systems that resist reform. This cycle of political self-preservation explains why spending continues to increase, why debt is out of control, and why special interest groups are in charge of policy.
This dynamic is evident in the way government welfare programs have expanded beyond their original purpose. Social welfare, where 11 people relied on private charities, churches and mutual aid associations, has been passed down to bureaucratic Instad, who dehumanizes you and ruins your dependence.
In wealth, poverty and politics, Thomas Sowell said government intervention in welfare is more harmful than good by looking down on the work and weakening community responsibility. Politicians promise more benefits to know that dependence will generate voting blocks that will enter into reelection. In contrast, private charities and churches provide not only financial support, but also moral and social support that helps individuals regain their independence.
Taxation needs to be simplified and transparent. The current system punishes productivity and distorts economic incentives by taxing INME multiple times – when acquired, invested and transferred through inheritance. This system is inherently unfair and rewards burdening people who work hard and invest wisely while manipulating loopholes. Friedman’s idea of flat consumption tax remains the best alternative to taxing only final consumption, rather than punishing savings and investments. Such a system would eliminate the complexity of the IRS, curb politicism in tax policy, and make taxation more transparent.
Perhaps the worst form of government control is the manipulation of money itself. The Federal Reserve was created to stabilize the economy, but inserted a cycle of boom, destroying this artificial credit expansion and monetary policy of reckkess.
Free banking expert Larry White has demonstrated that a historically competitive banking system without a central bank leads to a more stable financial environment than centrally managed Fiat currency. As Friedman has shown, inflation is always everywhere, everywhere in the financial phenomenon, caused by governments expanding their money supply, not businesses or consumers.
A healthy financial system cannot be centrally planned, but it must be rooted in free banks run by private institutions to issue currencies backed by tangible assets such as gold and silver. Honest money holds the government explainable by preventing it from coming out of irresponsible prosecutors.
Another government tool, federal regulations, overcome markets, distort markets, and limit innovation. Free enterprises thrive when individuals are left in the transaction and produced without bureaucratic interference. Rather than protecting consumers, most regulations protect politically connected industries from competition. Licensing Acts are particularly harmful and create barriers to insulting, poor workers to immobilized, poor workers, who are unable to pay costly training requirements.
Peter Bettke’s work in Austrian economics emphasizes that regulation is often the result of rent-seeking behavior. Free societies rely more on contract registration and liar law than preemptive infringement by the government.
The federal government is the most visible threat to freedom, but state and local governments play an important role in entrenching Orodo’s freedom.
The state should serve as a competitive lab, but many replicate Washington’s WARSST policy, impossible taxes, burdensome regulations and reckless spending. The proper role of the state government is to protect property rights, provide basic infrastructure, and maintain law and order by minimizing interference in the economic situation. Expenses are strictly limited, coupled with population growth and maximum inflation, preventing progressive government expansion.
At the local level, one of the most harmful taxes is property tax. The state generally does not impose property taxes, but local governments rely heavily on Onthem for excessive discharging. Hayek emphasized that safe property rights are essential to economic stability and individual freedom.
While Homeownelship must be the basis of financial independence, property taxes act as merciless rent paid to the government, making true ownership impossible. Local governments will need to phase out property taxes by limiting spending as needed and shifting to user-based fees. This will require absorbing local bureaucrats who promote school district spending, local government pension costs, and property taxes that increase year by year.
Educational Poly is another area where state and local governments were unable to maintain individual rights. Government schooling has resulted in decline in quality, ideological indoctrination, and bureaucratic helplessness. The only way to resume quality education is through choices that follow students, not systems that have failed to establish.
Sowell’s research on education highlights how competition between schools was exercised and centralised. The accumulation of savings in universal education allows parents to choose the best option for these children, allowing them to choose to be public, private, chartered or homeschooled.
The ultimate goal of governance is to create an environment where people can freely make their choices and take responsibility for their lives. Human nature is deeply folded, and the government cannot create a utopia. However, history shows that the most freest society must flourish, indicating that prosperity is material, not merely moral.
Sowell reminds us that a culture that emphasizes personal responsibility and entrepreneurship is superior to those who rely on government intervention. Society thrives when individuals are allowed to exercise personal responses, build strong families, and participate in volunteer cooperation RATHO rather than forced redistribution.
This vision is rooted in not only economic theory, but also theology, psychology and law.
Theological and human dignity is best preserved when an individual can act freely as a moral agent rather than as a state subject. Psychology teaches people to flourish when they have autonomy and purpose rather than dependence and qualifications. The rule of law asserts that, as clarified in Western legal tradition, the requirement of justice equals application rather than arbitrary governmental orders.
A truly free society does not need a powerful state, but rather opposed. It has curbed the government’s ability to thrive without intervention for individuals, families and communities. The path to prosperity is not central planning, but personal freedom, responsibility, and voluntary cooperation that has constantly made progress. The task is not to reinvent the government, but to bring it back to its legitimate location – limited, accounts, and grants to people.
Only can truly make people thrive is the can.
Vance Ginn, Ph.D. is president of Ginn Economic Consulting, host of the Let People Prosper Show and former chief economist at OMB in the Trump White House. Follow him on X.com @vanceginn.
