Power to the People

Liberty. It’s a core value that America was founded on, and an ideal held by Americans from the creation of the United States to our current age. We cherish the thought of absolute freedom; it’s something tens of thousands of our citizens have been willing to die for throughout the existence of this nation. Liberty is what makes this country so great, therefore it’s imperative that we hold onto its true meaning, ensuring that it will last for ourselves and future generations to come. In order for the United States to possess complete freedom, the power needs to be invested in the people. The Founding Fathers envisioned this wonderful structure, setting the precedent for our great nation in this respect, with Lincoln putting it into words: a government of the people, by the people, for the people. It’s a statement that proves what this country and its government was always intended to be and what it should continue to be, no matter what the circumstances. Unfortunately, as time goes on the power of the people is supplanted more and more by the power of the government. The federal government, especially the executive branch, has been continually seizing more power every year this country ages. For example, more recent events such as the president’s self-proclaimed right to order torturing of prisoners despite treaties and statutes forbidding it, as well as domestic surveillance without the necessary warrants. These are prime examples of power that the president was never intended to have, and a “time of crisis” and a “War on Terror” do not justify such actions. It’s also another way in which our liberty is being threatened due to the loss of privacy for our citizens. Either way, the causes are of no excuse for the government’s extrication of power to the people. The reasons behind what is happening may not be intentional, but they are definitely occurring.
The government is simply too involved in the daily interactions of our society and it’s not necessary. I firmly believe that government and life in general does not have to be this complicated. They are bombarding us with obligations and interfering where it’s inappropriate. Almost every conceivable thing has a bundle of rules and regulations that goes along with it. Most certainly the government has to exert a certain amount of power to maintain order, but does there have to be so many regulations? Furthermore, they are taxing income, sales, and property; they even tax you when you win the lottery. I understand the government needs some form of revenue, and I have no problem with paying taxes in order to establish the different institutions necessary for the development and maintenance of the country. The point of contention is that it’s not necessary to be taxing every single entity. They should choose to tax just one thing, either income or sales, it doesn’t matter; just simplify the process, it would be easier on both the bureaucracy and the citizens of this nation.
This unfortunate consequence isn’t the demise of our country, for there is still hope for improvement. It’s a situation that can be dealt with in order to improve our country to an even higher standard. I am more than grateful for the amount of freedom that I already have, but if we can potentially maximize our liberties, then why not do so? There are a number of different ways we can make substantial progress towards a zenith of freedom. First of all, we need to put the power back into the hands of the people. One way to effectively carry out this crucial process is to turn the legislative voting over to the citizens. Congress should still be responsible for creating legislation, but when it comes time to vote for passage of a bill, the people should be voting on the particular law to be passed. Granted, our congress members are elected by us, but that does not mean that they effectively represent our decisions. Including the president and congress, there are a total of 536 people representing and making the decisions for over 300 million. Statistically speaking, it’s not even feasible for them to accurately represent what the American people truly want for their country, especially when you consider the socio-demographics of the incumbents.
Now, let’s consider the exact definition of liberty. It is freedom from control, interference, obligation, and restriction; the power or right to act according to choice. It should be obvious by now that the government is in fact controlling, interfering, obligating, and restricting a number of things on our daily lives. It needs to stop in order for our country to maintain the level of excellence that we all want to live amongst. We have to control the government and make the decisions for them, not the other way around, ensuring a government of the people, by the people, for the people.