ScaryToenails

Ludwig von Mises once observed:

No socialist author ever gave a thought to the possibility that the abstract entity which he wants to vest with unlimited power — whether it is called humanity, society, nation, state, or government — could act in a way of which he himself disapproves.

It's simply staggering to observe the number of individuals in the world who support giving the state ever more increasing powers over - well, anything. The naivete of those who prop up government is astounding. Can anyone honestly, truly tell me that empowering the ruling elite beyond its current levels wouldn't result in more hardships?

I can hear the answers now: "Well, the government is corrupt, and we have to fix the corruption," or "If there wasn't so much bickering, then giving the government more power wouldn't result in hardships," or "In a perfect world..." Well, let me just stop you there. This isn't a perfect world, and Lord Acton's immortal phrase rings as true today as it did when he first wrote it. Give men power over others and it will be abused.

To further empower the government for some "righteous cause," whether that be to provide healthcare to all Americans, to print and control the money supply, to wage undeclared wars on brown-skinned foreigners, or to decide who can and who cannot be married - you are simply setting up a government that will, more likely than not, use these powers to perform acts with which you disagree.