Be Wary of Power

Be Wary of Power is a great piece by Robert Sirico about using government to do good. He writes:

We can contrast this with government means, which always involves an element of force. Whether it is taxation, regulation, or restrictions on consumption, all government programs are designed to thwart what would otherwise be voluntary decisions. Whether you believe some intervention is necessary, let us be clear that an increase in government management of the economy always means an increase in the use of force.

Of course the advocates of the “third way” don't think of it that way. They believe that they are advocating an increase in compassion for the poor, protection for workers and consumers, fairness to all classes in society, opportunity for those shut out, and security for the vulnerable. The problem here is not the goal—these are all valuable considerations in the formation of public policy—but the means, which always involve supplanting the role of human choice with force.

This highlights the double-edged sword of using the government to do good. Ideally, we want people to do good of their own volition. Yet we know that because of sin and evil, that will not always occur. The danger of government non-intervention is that a less-than-virtuous society will victimize some people. The danger of government intervention is that people come to do good only because they are forced to and do not internalize the moral values that would lead them to do good. That tends to spiral toward a need for ever stronger government intervention to compel people to behave in ways contrary to their values.

There is no neat formula that tells us the answer here, but I agree with Sirrico that many who are so passionate about a "third way," which usually entails substantially increased government involvement, are not taking seriously the potential consequences of government intervention.