The Bill of Obligations by Richard Haass

Author:Richard Haass [Haass, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2023-01-24T00:00:00+00:00

Obligation VIII

Respect Government Service

There is a strong American tradition of suspicion toward government. This book began with the history of American democracy, and even though the Constitution was drafted and ratified to replace the ineffective Articles of Confederation, the flaws of the Articles did not prevent many from having doubts about the wisdom of replacing it with a much stronger government. The fear was that the successor government would constrain the rights of both states and individuals. The result was the Bill of Rights, which articulated the rights of individuals and states and provided an architecture that limited the sway of the federal government and the executive branch in particular.

Over the centuries, this fear of too powerful a government has morphed into something of a dislike of government full stop. Ronald Reagan used this as part of his stump speech, exclaiming that “the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’ ” And even more cynically: “Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”

Much of what Reagan had to say supported his aim to reduce taxation and, on occasion, spending; it was also often said with a wink, as Reagan clearly understood this was red meat for his political base. In recent years, though, we have seen frequent reference to the “deep state,” which is a much darker idea suggesting that within the government there are careerists who are loyal only to themselves and who seek to take away freedom from Americans they disagree with. If this sounds like the stuff of conspiracy, it is because it is. What began as opposition to strong government and big government has morphed into outright hostility of government and rejection of its legitimacy and authority. Not surprisingly, polls indicate that public trust in government is near historic lows (only around one in four Americans express trust), although the number varies when one asks about particular government functions and when the vote is broken down by party. Both Democrats and Republicans are more trusting of government when one of their own occupies the White House.

Don’t get me wrong. Governments make mistakes, sometimes big ones, with enormous consequences. Power does get abused. Citizens are at times lied to. Money is wasted. Corruption exists. Racism is tolerated or even advanced. The wealthy often enjoy a degree of power, influence, and access that ordinary citizens do not. Wars of choice are launched that cost lives and money in pursuit of aims that are anything but vital.

The good news, though, is that American democracy has the tools to deal with such behavior. The free press can report on poor decision-making and execution and uncover corruption. Congress can hold hearings and place a spotlight on government action and curtail military interventions as it did in Vietnam. Whistleblowers can call attention to abuses of power. Law enforcement can intervene to investigate criminality.

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