Is government a necessary evil?

Many believe that government is a necessary evil in a society of free men. It is a device that must be used sparingly and eyed with suspicion, for its tendency is to accumulate, in the name of protection, what truly belongs to a just and good people.

Because the laws governing society have become so complex, ordinary people often feel helplessly lost and believe they have to rely on experts just to perform basic, ordinary functions as citizens. Laws governing the voting process require proof of identification that can be difficult to obtain. The system of taxation has become opaque, fuzzy and susceptible to all forms of trickery and abuse. Small-business owners find themselves bound by a mind-numbing set of regulations that impede the basic economic engine of our country from growing, stifle innovation and discourage the entrepreneurial spirit.

And our members of Congress have succumbed to the self-serving and amoral dictum, when fighting to fund this or that worthless project, that it's going to be spent somewhere, so why not in my district? Is it any surprise that our national debt is soaring, at $14 trillion and steadily rising? We certainly have lowered the standard for what's right and wrong, haven't we? In no small part because the laws are so complex and self-contradictory, we've almost been left with no other way to look at moral matters.

Armstrong Williams is on Sirius/XM Power 169, 7-8 p.m. and 4-5 a.m., Monday through Friday. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arightside, and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/arightside.