Home » Politics & Society » Political Economy » The Nanny State, The Finger Pointers, and the Crybabies

The Nanny State, The Finger Pointers, and the Crybabies

© Bryan Johnson

For in the state of nature...a man has two powers: The first is to do whatsoever he thinks fit for the preservation of himself and others within the permission of the law of nature, by which law, common to them all, he and all the rest of mankind are one community, make up one society, distinct from all other creatures...The other power a man has in the state of nature is the power to punish the crimes committed against the law. John Locke from: "Second Treatise of Government" (1690)

Whatever modern political scientists think about European liberalism now called classical liberalism and often opposite of American liberalism, it no doubt had a tremendous impact on the framers of America's constitution. Indeed, as the 18th century drew to a close, Absolutism was reeling in favor of a new emerging political and economic theory, liberalism.

As political scientist Michael Curtis of Rutgers University wrote in his 1962, The Great Political Theories, Volume 2:

"But basic to the liberal tradition are the idea of freedom of thought and expression, the reduction or elimination of coercion, the toleration of different points of views though differences exist about the limits of toleration, limits on the exercise of power through constitutional arrangements or guarantees of individual rights, an impersonal rule of law, the right of people to choose their political and religious views and the existence of a free opposition to the established authority.

Whether it was John Locke, John Stuart Mill, or Adam Smith, America's earliest political influences came from a desire to maximize the freedom of individuals, while protecting the life, liberty, and property of citizens voluntarily joining in the creation of a society. So it was with these early experiments where Americans were free to do whatever they wanted, as long as they did not violate the life, liberty, and property of others.

The purpose of the above transgression is not to evoke a debate about natural rights, classical liberalism, or its application in today's government (for few historians deny the linkage between this political thought and that which is embodied in the U.S. Constitution). Rather, the purpose is to point out, for better or for worse (that's your call), that America today is far, far, far, from possessing a government envisioned by the framers.

While many of America's laws (perhaps even most) are aimed at the protection of natural rights, many more are not. The central thesis that seems to have changed in the American political psyche is the notion that government should not only exist to protect individuals from other individuals bent on infringing on their natural rights, but also to protect individuals from themselves .

The copyright of the article The Nanny State, The Finger Pointers, and the Crybabies in Political Economy is owned by . Permission to republish The Nanny State, The Finger Pointers, and the Crybabies in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.