Re: [OT] USA Elections
- Posted by mattlewis (admin) Nov 04, 2012
- 2793 views
Technically true (increasing control is, by the definition of liberty (freedom from control) something that takes away liberty), but I quibble here: Doesn't this mean that having the DMV regulating drivers licenses is another form of having liberty taken away?
Yes, it is. It's always a balancing act. I'd also note that DMVs are all at the state level. It's important to note how close to the people the government is.
I'm certainly no fan of governments that callously suppress liberties left and right for no good reason, but I don't see a liberal government as necessarily doing this (neither do I see a conservative government as necessarily doing this). More regulation may be called for, but like the DMV, there generally are good intentions behind it.
Good intentions are dangerous things with government, because they often mask awful results. We often think we understand things better than we do, and that we can control them better than we can.
But of course, every government is suspectible to this - and in the US, we have all kinds of separation of powers and checks and balances to help deal with this.
Yes, it was a very interestingly designed system (and has proven itself much better at checks and balances than any parliamentary system). Some of it has been dismantled (direct election of Senators, various Supreme Court rulings declaring unenumerated powers). But occasionally it works as designed. And then politicians complain about how the gridlocked system won't let them do whatever whim has taken them this year.
Matt
