There are a number of politicians in Congress who identify with the libertarian view -- Ron Paul, Rand Paul, Jim Demint, and Bob Barr are four examples.
In general, libertarians argue that Americans are too dependent on the government for help and therefore not as free as they presume. Dependency is not freedom. And Americans are really dependent on the government and, worse, basically delusional about that dependence. That delusion is seen no clearer than in this survey.
A sample of Americans who were already dependent on government assistance were asked: "Have you ever used a government social program?" The table below shows two things: 1. the percentage of people who were unaware that they were dependent on government assistance 2. and the government assistance program on which they were in fact dependent.
| Percentage of Program Beneficiaries Who Report They “Have Not Used a Government Social Program” | |
| Program | “No, Have Not Used a Government Social Program” |
| 529 or Coverdell | 64.3 |
| Home Mortgage Interest Deduction | 60.0 |
| Hope or Lifetime Learning Tax Credit | 59.6 |
| Student Loans | 53.3 |
| Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit | 51.7 |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | 47.1 |
| Social Security—Retirement & Survivors | 44.1 |
| Pell Grants | 43.1 |
| Unemployment Insurance | 43.0 |
| Veterans Benefits (other than G.I. Bill) | 41.7 |
| G.I. Bill | 40.3 |
| Medicare | 39.8 |
| Head Start | 37.2 |
| Social Security Disability | 28.7 |
| Supplemental Security Income | 28.2 |
| Medicaid | 27.8 |
| Welfare/Public Assistance | 27.4 |
| Government Subsidized Housing | 27.4 |
| Food Stamps | 25.4 |
So, libertarians advocate less dependence on government.
This means in house sex work should be made legal because criminalization is ineffective and consenting adults should be able to have sex with whom ever they choose without government involvement.
According to Ron Paul, this means that the Transportation Security Administration (the people who search you at the airport before you board the airplane) should be closed because they are an "out of control organization" that "gropes and grabs" Americans and invades our individual privacy. Airline riders are dependent on the government for providing their security before they board an airplane and this infringes on their freedom.
This means that when massive economic downturns occur such as the Great Depression, the government should not intervene to help the unemployed or develop national infrastructure because this leads to more national debt, higher taxes, capped prices on some consumer goods, and so on. Libertarians argue that it is a mistake to believe that government programs are solutions to economic problems.
This also means for instance that during natural disasters, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and so on, the government should not provide aid. Ron Paul, for instance, recently said that areas struck by tornadoes and hurricanes should not receive government assistance to carry out rescue operations, rebuild, or to prepare for future weather disasters.
What do you think?
Do you think that Americans are too dependent on the government? If you we are too dependent, are there ever times when it is ok for the government to intervene -- like during disasters or attack by foreign country? If you believe we are not too dependent, does our dependence on the government limit our freedom? When is there too much government assistance and individual freedom is being limited?
I believe that some Americans are too dependent on our government; however, I feel that at times this dependency is necessary (airline security, police, etc.). There are also dependencies which are not remotely close to being necessary, such as individuals choosing to accept unemployment who can search for jobs, and who accept "under the table" salaries or sums of money. Unfortunately, I believe that the dependence on our government does in fact limit our freedom. Many of these dependencies, I feel will never be able to be corrected, such as our need for airline security and the amount of individuals who claim unemployment, who actually do not deserve it.
ReplyDeleteTrevor Phadden
PSCI 100:04
I believe that Americans overall are too dependent on their government. I think that the government should only intervene when someone's physical security is being threatened. We should have airline security and police along with disaster aid, but the government should not interfere with our economy in any way because it has been proven that this usually backfires.
ReplyDeleteTrevor McClain
PSCI 100.05
Americans are way too dependent on their government. The government should intervene when america or any americans are being threatened. They should intervine alot for terrorists as well to keep us all safe. Airline security is a big one especially after 9/11. Government should not be involved with marriage or religion because it is none of their business in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteTim Hoover
PSCI 100.04
I think that some Americans are too dependent on the government. However, to take away our security and protection is wrong. We need the police, airline security, and all the other forces that keep us safe. I think the government should leave our personal lives alone except when we are hit by natural disasters and/or threatened by foreign attacks. Its like Tim said who we marry and our religion is our business not theirs. Kiana Weller PSCI 100:05
ReplyDeleteI think that Americans are dependent on the government. There are times when the government needs to intervene and help its citizen, such as during natural disasters and foreign attack. The government should not be involved in social issues, such as what we choose to do with our bodies and marriage.
ReplyDelete-Bianca Redmond 100:04
I think Americans are dependent on the government, but rightfully so. The government is there to benefit the people. It should be responsible for protecting us from foreign attack, keeping our economy stable, and keeping the people healthy. That's why I see no problem with the government helping after natural disasters and economic downturns. They basically need to keep the the country running but that doesn't mean they get to get involved in the citizens personal lives.
ReplyDeleteTimothy Folk
100:03
I’m a little unsure about this topic. I want to say that I do not believe that Americans are too dependent on the government, but at the same time I believe that maybe we are. I most definitely believe that the government should intervene during disasters and attacks by foreign countries, and I also believe that they need to intervene in other situations. Like the survey results showed, many people don’t realize all the various ways in which they are dependent on the government. Also, many people don’t think about the fact that the ways in which they are dependent on the government are not necessarily bad. Think about it, without Coverdells, 529’s, Pell grants, and student loans, many of us students would not be sitting in the classroom learning about politics right now. Not to mention, everybody loves a good tax credit. I feel like people are not ready to admit that these various government programs and forms of assistance are beneficial until they are in the situation where they desperately need to take advantage of them. I constantly hear people saying that food stamps and government assistance should be taken away because they encourage people to not work, but I bet you when you get fired and cannot find a job in this crappy economy that you would be very grateful to receive some help until you can get back on your feet. Nevertheless, with every choice and action there will be benefits and consequences. So, yes, I’d say that dependence on the government does limit our so-called “freedom,” but it’s all about give and take. I have no concrete answer of when there is too much or not enough government or individual freedom, but I would definitely not promote the idea that there should be no form of government assistance.
ReplyDeleteHeather Webb PSCI 100.03
DeleteYes i do believe that most Americans are too dependent on the government because we trust them on too many things in what they say and there actions. For example, airline traveling security measures what if that wasent there nobody would trust traveling anymore after what 9/11 did to this country. But i do think it is ok for the government to intervene on stuff like disaters and attacks because they should be the ones to assist you the most in this tradgy because we look up at them for this type of decsions. Its there job to protect this country not we the public. There can be too much government assistance that can infer with out individual freedom and privcy when they are there but just not helping out that communtiy you should be there to help not to stand around gurarding the disaster city/town at night. We do need our own freedom and privcy to get away from the government in things we do believe that we don't need them.
ReplyDelete(Brennan Fanning PSCI 100.03)
I don't necessarily think that most Americans are too dependent on the government, but I certainly think that some are - the difference is how responsibly the people use the assistance. The few but unfortunately completely real people that take advantage of welfare benefits and other forms of assistance are using the system to skate along without pulling their own weight. They don't use the system to better themselves, which leaves them forever reliant on the government. However, Joe Schmoe college kid with a student loan from the government is not too dependent, because he is using the resources available to improve his future prospects. Eventually, he will not only pay the loan back, but go on to make his own contributions to society and to become a self-sufficient individual (at least ideally).
ReplyDeleteThis is not to say that we as a people aren't very dependent on the government. We rely on the government to police our streets, put out fires, and guard our borders, among other things; and generally keep the country running as smoothly as possible. This is fine, as long as the government intervention is limited to things that empower us to utilize our freedoms (and of course, that line is crossed sometimes). After all, isn't our nation's political philosophy based around the idea that a government should protects it's people's rights without infringing on them?
Ian Karraker PSCI 100.05
I think we are dependent on the government but I do not think it is a bad thing. We are dependent for security and our quality of life. The government should absolutely intervene if there is a natural disaster. People shouldnt just be left there with nothing to their name and no place to live. The government cant just say "sucks to suck" its your own problem. It is great that our government can provide shelters and food for people while their houses and lives are rebuilt during the disaster. As for foreign warfare, if the country has not done anything to America why should we be in that country? The government should intervene if another country attacks but it should be a careful and accurate intervention. Decisions shouldnt be rushed to completely attack and sent troops to that country but the government shouldnt sit around and do nothing about the issue.
ReplyDeleteJenny Cavey PSCI 100.04
i think that there should be a balance between freedom and government intervention. i think it is important for the government to aid in an attack by a foreign country and during a natural disaster. but i dont think that the government should over step its bounds with security.for example, tracking phone calls and micromanaging our nation because of the potential threat of an attack. if our country could find that equal balance between freedom and government intervention, then i think we would be in great shape.
ReplyDeleteAmanda James 100.04
I think that although we are too dependent on the government, life would be difficult without aid in times of disaster, or even in other situations. For instance, the government pays for my schooling because of my good grades, which helps my family out tremendously. However, I think that smaller branches of government, such as state governments, should have more power than the national government. The national government is essentially too few people with too much power to account for too many people. It also consists of a concentrated group of people with a lot of money, and therefore, there is no way that it's concerned with the issues of a majority of people in this country.
ReplyDeleteBrittany Custer
PSCI 100.04
I believe that some Americans would be helpless without government assistance, which is very sad, but still true. Many college students would have to find another way to pay for their education, but schools would also need to find other sources of funding if the government stepped back. Local governments are more closely related to the people they govern, which is better than the rich members of the federal government controlling how much we pay in taxes every week or how much aid we get for school per year. It is understandable that many people are angered by this, and recently after learning more of the libertarian views and ideas, I would have to say that in the current situation of too much control, most would want someone to let go and see what really happens when people are given more freedom to be themselves. Naturally all of our current policies wouldn't completely fade away, but having a country based on freedom without much of the freedom doesn't really make sense.
ReplyDeleteBrittney Mercer
PSCI 100:05
I believe that we are so used to the fact that the government is intervening in our lives that we are dependent. It is our own faults however that we let it happen. The government definitely has the right to intervene during disasters and attacks on the country. It is a sense of security. Without government at times, there would be near chaos, since we are used to the way things are now.
ReplyDeleteBlaine G Gibson
PSCI 100.04
I feel we are dependent on the government, as we should be. There are things that the government does that we kind of take for granted. They are responsible for keeping our country secure; going back to the surveilance issue, this is neccessary to keep us safe from attacks, yet we see it as them invading our privacy. They aren't zoning in on each and every one of our lives, they are just looking for suspicious acts, and to do that, certain precautions need be taken...ei.surveilance on all. So I feel that we should be dependent on the government, because they know what they are doing, but we should be somewhat invloved, and educated better as a society on what actions they take.
ReplyDeleteBrandon Coffey
PSCI 100:04
I believe that Americans want the government helps by things. For example, when we declare war. We need to have soldiers fight for our country. Although we needs government assistance, we don't always need it on everything. We don't need the government to tell us what religious we are aloud to rejoice or what were aloud to wear on a a certain day. I feel the government has power on who is aloud to carry guns. I feel that not everyone needs to carry a gun. If it comes down to that point, then I woul not feel safe at all.
ReplyDeleteBeth Ann Haymond
PSCI 100.05
I think we are too dependant on the government because the government isn't always reliable with things such as job security, social security, and housing. I think people get so caught up in spending on things they can't afford and forget to save so when programs like social security fail they don't know what to do. I do think the government should come in to help during a national disaster and when we are attacked by a foreign country because those things can't be anticipated and the government is suposed to protect us.
ReplyDeleteEllen Sassman
PSCI 100:04
I think the people of the United States are too dependent on government nowadays because government sometimes makes mistakes and isn't always reliable and when people put all their eggs in one basket with the government they sometimes get let down and are pretty much screwed. People are focusing on spending there money on things of material value and things they need they want the government to give them money to play for them. For example people are taking advantage of unemployment people are losing their jobs and milking the government for money which isn't cool. The government should help in times of a disaster or attack but people need to realize somethings won't be handed to them and they have to work for it.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Mckenzie
PSCI 100.03
I think some Americans are too dependent on the government and other Americans don't rely as much on the government. If we keep relying on the systems we have, they're going to run out of money soon.
ReplyDeleteKimberly Clegg
PSCI 100.03
I think that the government tries to run our life so much that us as Americans depend on the government so much that we really cant decide for our selves and thats another reason why our economy is running out of money.
ReplyDeleteTrevon Butler
PSCI 100.04
I believe that there is a even split of people who take advantage of the government and then those who don't. Even though this is being said the government still is controlling of society and sometimes focus too much on certain aspects when there are much more important things that need to be handled. Like when there is a foreign attack that should be the governments first priority, or the poverty in this country. There are just certain things that need to be attended to first and sometimes the government does not act in that sense.
ReplyDeleteLauren Tyree
PSCI 100.03
I believe that Americans are dependent on government but only because it is the only thing we are use to. We are use to the government always telling us what we can or cannot do. I think it is okay for them to intervene in legal matters, security, environmental issues, etc. I don't think they should intervene in personal decisions such as abortion, marital options and so forth.
ReplyDeleteDeandre Montgomery
PSCI 100.04
I hate to say it but we need goverment intervention. The reason why is because it keeps most of us alive. If I did not have a pell grant and student loans I would not be able to got to college. Without unemployment my family would not be able to survive. At least one of all the things listed in this post are obviously found within almost every persons life at some point. If there was no goverment intervention in tmes of disater then who would help? Us? Yeah that would be nice if it worked but rarely do people do good deeds, know how to help, or have the money to help. The goverment should intervene on a lot of things. As far as the sex work that is a social issue and should be up to the people involved in it.
ReplyDeleteJoan Conte PSCI 100:05
I really don't know how I feel about this topic. On one hand, I believe that we could probably sustain ourselves without a government (if we had to). On the other hand, we're so dependent on government assistance, I feel like if it just 'disappeared' that we wouldn't know what to do because Americans today are pretty lazy. We talked about that last week, how once it comes to manual labor, the people of America would rather quit if they had to do it everyday.
ReplyDeleteIf I really had to make a final judgement on this though, I feel like there would be those of us who would just make noise and uproar about the government leaving us high and dry and they would quickly become homeless and searching for food, and then there are still a handful of us that would know how to make it on their own and grow their own food and tend to their own needs. So I guess I'm on the fence.
Megan Casteel 100,05
I don't think we are too reliant on the government. I think a lot of our problems right now stem from the fact that we can't decide if we should be more dependent or less dependent. IT seems almost everyone is all for relying on the government to provide security, to the point where we have given up some of our Constitutional rights in order to feel safe. And yet, we are too afraid and up in arms to have a nationalized healthcare system because somehow it will hurt us. We spend so much on our military and security for our country...I'm pretty sure a standardized and regulated healthcare market won't bankrupt us. We can't be hypocritical in the fact that we rely so heavily on the government to put us through college, give us jobs, and protect our security, but then be too afraid to let them give us healthcare, food stamps, or social security. I think all of it is a good thing. They seem to be doing pretty well in Norway after all...
ReplyDeleteAndrew Seaman 100.03
I believe Americans depend on the government way too much because of the things they help us with. They depend on them for unemployment,taxes and civil rights that help us get bye. Although it is okay for the government to intervene in disaster and foreign attacks because there protecting the greater good of the people. Because we lean on are government so much they increase slight things like surveillance and security in certain places. We the people are like young kids in a high school. We are full of life and stupid mistakes along with being reckless and caring at the same time. That's the reason we lean on the government because we are scared of each others actions. Parris Baxter
ReplyDelete100.03...also i did the other blogs when they were do. But i don't know if i put my class numbers in them but i made a profile. So i don't know if that will effect my grade
DeleteIn a sense we are too dependent upon are government. We are so dependent that sometimes we don't even know what is going on without our own country and we blindly follow in their footsteps. To some degree i believe it is okay to have the governments input for instance the police and when our safety is concerned.
ReplyDeleteMaryam Khan
PSCI 100.4
I think we are too dependent on our gov't, yes. when they don't help us in natural disasters and such we get very angry and hate them. but then go back to depending on them. i feel that if we had started this country off without so much gov't dependence than we wouldn't have all this debt and angst in us now.
ReplyDeleteAmerican's are to dependent on the government and thus we have become lazy and profligately. There are times when government intervention is excusable, like natural disasters and attack on the country, but for the government to allow for people to be lazy and just take money from the government is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteSarah Barry
PSCI 100.04
I do think that America is to dependent on government and because of that we expect the government to do and provide everything for us in todays society. But i dont blame americans because we are so use to the government providing for us our every needs that we just sit back and just accept everything they do we really dont have to do anything any more. We automatically assume they are going to provide us with stuff like security, money, education and etc. So really we are living in a society that is easy and where we dont have to work for nuttin.
ReplyDeleteAndre' Makell PSCI 100.03
I believe that some americans are too dependent on the government and when the government does not provide for us we get mad because we are so used to being dependent on the government. On some topics I believe that we do need government intervention but then again on some other things there should be less intervention.
ReplyDeleteKrystal Hambright 100.05
I believe Americans depend too much on the governement. I believe only government should intervene when its a time of crisis or Americans are being threatened. when it comesto personal issues I think the government should not intervene because it is not their problem.
ReplyDeleteTyler Messersmith
PSCI 100.03
I honestly think that the only type of government intervention we should have is when it comes to a serious crime, such as murder or something to that nature. I think the government is very, as you say "overrated", but it's also overused, and the people that work in government jobs definitely take advantage of their power. A lot of citizens ARE dependent on the government, and because of that I feel like the government has gotten worse. The world needs to be more individualized, and I'm not just saying people need to say it more. I mean people need to actually act!
ReplyDeleteTaylor Hardee
PSCI 100:05
While I see the risk in being dependent on government, and I largely agree with or at least appreciate the libertarian standpoint of non-intervention on the part of the government, here are some downsides that I see to this position:
ReplyDeleteAny viewpoint can be abused, perverted or taken to an extreme. If we are or were to become overly dependent on government, than individual's rights could very easily be infringed upon or taken away, but if we go to the opposite extreme, and refuse to allow government intervention in anything...then the places where government would be of huge help, they might be shut out, or worse, have been abolished OR not have existed in the first place!
I believe that we should take care of issues as best we can on the lowest level possible first, so in this way I'm very libertarian. However, the logical addendum to this idea is that if it's not working on the lowest level or cannot be accomplished on the lowest level, you next logical step of recourse would be to move to a higher level of government for aid. This would be especially useful in the case of national disasters foreign and domestic, and for protecting basic human rights such as the right to life.
Are we overly dependent on government? I'm not sure if we're overly dependent...but I do think in some cases the government has taken steps to ensure it's own "necessity" that it was not asked to take. The TSA procedures for instance, or Guantanamo Bay, or the wiretapping, which many people have voiced strong opinions against. What I mean is that these things were done in the name of national security, but our national security really hadn't been damaged, we were still a superpower after 9/11 last time I checked...But now we take "precautionary" measures that really, largely end up restricting us or hurting people.
Nathaniel Warburton
PSCI 100:05
I think we are dependent on the government. Being dependent on the government is not always bad. The government provides security, they provide aid for natural disaster victims. They also provide aid for the unemployed and those of low income. Government intervention and involvement is necessary at times. I do not believe citizens can take theses important matters into their own hands.
ReplyDeleteAmber Ugorji
PSCI 100.04
Im really undecided on whether or not americans are too dependant on the government. I think in alot of ways they are. Our dependence on the government in any form limits our.freedom. I think it may be ideal if we.could eliminate alot of the constraints on personal.freedom (ie drugs, victimless crimes, etc) and found a way to reform economic contraints.
ReplyDeleteNikki-Lynn Lloyd
PSCI 100.03
I think that sometimes a lot of us do rely on our government to much. Most people don’t really keep up with what’s going on today in our society, we just rely on our government to take care of it. But the times that we do pay attention to what is going on is when some disaster happens like an attack by a foreign country. Then we are all concerned with what is going on and rely on our government even more to take care of us.
ReplyDeleteJordan Dixon
PSCI 100.04
I think there are some Americans that are too dependent on goverment aid. There are people that take advantage of the system and there should be better ways to prevent that from happening. I dont think there is anything wrong with unemployment welfare disability etc if it is needed. If a person or family needs a helping hand there should be avenues they can take to receive a boost. I also believe that people can become way to dependent on government assistance and they get stuck in that way of life. The programs that are meant to help only keep them held down. There is too much government assistance when communities or families are stuck in the assistance program. The government should definitely help in cases of natural disasters or fighting against foreign enemies. There has to be a happy medium somewhere. There needs to be goverment programs in place to help students, elderly, poor, unemployed, people effected by natural disasters, and so on. If there werent programs in place, who would help?
ReplyDeleteDanielle Francesconi psci 100-03
I believe that Americans are too dependent on the government. Government should intervene during tough times such as natural disasters and attacks by foreign countries. Government assistance is abused a lot of times by Americans. I believe we all need to move towards less government assistance. With less government assistance each one of us could rely more on ourselves and improve the nation as a whole.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Waters
PSCI 100.03
American's are very dependent on the government and, I believe they do not even realize to what extent the government controls their lives. Though I think that the government needs to reduce its influence in the lives of American citizens, I think that during natural disasters and foreign attacks, the government’s job should be to protect the safety and wellbeing of its people. There is too much government intervention and restriction on personal freedom when American citizens are unable to do simple things that are harmless to others, because of governmental restrictions.... such as eating what they like and traveling where that wish.
ReplyDeleteChelsea Lemley
PSCI 100.05
I feel that we Americans rely on our government very much so and we should to a certain extent. The government hold be there to protect our country from foreign attack and things like that but the government should stay out of our personal lives and not be able to tap into our phone conversations. But for the most part we rely on the government to much.
ReplyDeleteAron Shiley 100:03
I do believe that the for the most part that Americans look for towards the government to take care of them during crisis. In some cases looking towards the government is necessary because neither the individual nor the community they live in have the resources to help themselves, like in war or natural disaster.
ReplyDeleteHowever in some cases however, people rely to much on the government to help them whether they truly need it or not, down on your luck and need some help because you lost your job? Hit up the government they can help, and doing this just once is fine, because the government has a lot of money, but when everyone does it or when a select few live off these hand me downs it puts a strain on the government, who then takes it out on the rest of the people by raising taxes and such.
Ian Keller
PSCI 100.005
If we were at war, and there was no government intervention, who would defend the nation? How many of them voted on continued funding for the troops who are in Iraq/Afghanistan? How many of those in office in Washington used student loans to get their degree? Did any of these "libertarians" use government help to get where they are? Did they use government intervention when disasters have struck their constituents? "Do as I say, Not as I do."
ReplyDeleteBefore the TSA was put in place, there was always a risk that your plane would have a mad bomber on board or someone to take the entire plane hostage. How many times has that happened since TSA was enacted? Government intervention is necessary to some extent to allow for personal security, unless we are all going to be allowed to carry a gun or dynamite onto a plane just in case someone wanted to take the into oblivion.
These individuals have a warped sense of reality if they believe and trust that each person would be able to live within a certain guideline of not harming someone else just because it is the right thing to do. If individuals were left to "freely act as long as they are not harming someone else" is like telling Alice to not go to Wonderland.
G. Fry
PoliSci
100.05
I think that we as Americans depend to much on government intervention. The only time government intervention is necessary is during a natural disaster or a direct attack on american soil. Otherwise the government should just let us live our lives and not interfere unless its a risk of national security
ReplyDeleteNick Mullican
PSCI 100.04