Participation brings limited government

To the editor:

The most common statement of frustration about politics is “if they would only use some common sense.”

Bluntly, if enough people willingly worked at using common sense — instead of comfortably using the prejudices, mental laziness and selfishness that typifies human imperfection — constitutions and laws wouldn’t be necessary. Constitutions, laws and workable principles are the most successful devices developed by humanity to make up for inconsistent use of common sense and willingness to look by people.

However, the successful development and use of principled constitutions and laws requires participation by a super majority of the people consenting to be governed by them. The self-evident defect of having only an aristocratic elite create or interpret constitutions or laws is that it’s humanly impossible for them to view all relevant reality. A cooperative super majority of the people governed has, if coaxed to be willing, the most comprehensive view of reality short of God.

An elevated necessity for police, bullying, propaganda and other forms of government coercion stems from insufficient use of a super majority of those governed in creating the law or ordinance being enforced. A wide understanding and acceptance of a law or ordinance — stemming from helping to create them (or a community comprehension of why they came into being) — naturally reduces the cost of government. And a wide understanding and acceptance of a constitution naturally reduces the need for further elaboration by law or ordinance.

In conclusion, the basic problem any form of government attempts to solve is human imperfection fueling civic irresponsibility and apathy. What is to be done with people who use liberty to be lazy or selfish or ignorant or apathetic to the detriment of not only themselves, but their neighbors, community, and nation? The natural answer is more elaborate and forceful government in proportion to how civically irresponsible the population majority are. Thus limited, government is the natural reward of principled civic responsibility and citizen participation by the population majority. After all, what could “government of, by and for the people” mean?

Stuart Thompson

Wasilla