Letters to the Editor
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Limted Government--CreatingTwo Problems From One Solution
It's worth noting that liberal theorists came up with the idea of "limited government" as opposed to absolute government. It had existed before modern liberalism, of course, most notably in the examples of Greece, Rome, and the Italian Renaissance republics. But Locke's social contract theory provided a thorouhgoing philisophical foundation which accomplished the seemingly contradictory feat of grounding governmental authority in individual liberty--and visa versa.
The rational was simple: in a state of nature, without government, no individual liberties were secure. The foundation of government was the recognition that some liberties were essential--inalienable--while others could reasonably be set aside as a means to an end, so long as the end was secured, and others still could be arrayed in between, and dealt with through political and judicial means.
With this philosophical foundation, the grounds were finally laid on which, eventually, the monarchy itself could be disposed of--which it was, following the American Revolution. And thus we established a limited government with separation of powers placing the primary war powers in legislative hands, giving the President executive powers in war, the same as in domestic matters.
Conservatives, however, didn't like this arrangement when polical results started going against them. First, they worked furiously to redefine "limited government" to mean "government limited to military spending, the FBI, the war on drugs and pork for my district." And now that they've brainwashed away any recollection at all of what "limited government" actually means, they are set on proclaiming that George Bush is king--ruling by divine right, no less, since obviously a majority of people didn't vote for him in 2000. (This isn't snark. I've actually read a Bush supporter arguing this.)
Why do conservatives really hate America?
Like the scorpion in the story in The Crying Game--they can't help themselves. It's just their nature.