Do We Have Too Much Government?

I heartily accept the motto,—“That government is best which governs least”; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe—“That government is best which governs not at all”


Henry David Thoreau believed the government acted only to benefit the people within the government. The "People" were suppose to be in charge. Thoreau believed the citizens were just being used to serve the more powerful and wealthy who had the control. His theory is still very valid today. Laws that extend beyond the Constitution of the United States can be very corrupt and have a negative impact on our society that is now too deeply rooted to remove (http://www.articlemyriad.com/analysis-summary-civil-disobedience/).

One of the ways our government extended its arm too far is the restriction of alcohol to people under the age of twenty one. Teenagers are always going to drink whether it is legal or illegal. It's a part of American culture that every teen is faced with and it has been the norm for forever. There are many problems with teens drinking at a young age, but when the punishments for underage drinking could jeopardize a teen's future, that's when the government goes too far. Teens are always going to drink and when there isn't a safe place to be without getting caught, the car seems like the only option. Everyone who drinks should be allowed to do so in a safe place. If bars could be accessible to everyone instead of just people over a certain age, a lot less teens would be driving around drunk and trying to avoid the law. Teen parties are frequently miles from their homes and deep in the woods in order to avoid the police. This creates more problems than the law is trying to prevent. In the event of an emergency, the drunken needs need to drive miles to get back into town. By the time they get to town, it may be too late or an accident caused by the alcohol could occur. The law governs morals and hurts our society. It makes America more dangerous instead of protecting it. It seems the only practical reason the government holds on to this law is so that law enforcement people can carry a job. Their salary is paid for by the fines that teens have to pay for simply partaking in an activity that is inevitably an everlasting aspect of our culture.

Marijuana is such a horrible drug according to the government. Why do they tell us this? Because the powerful people, who are elected to protect us, want a salary. Law enforcement is funded to keep pot away, but like alcohol, it will always be here. Our tax money funds a hopeless war against drug crimes but without drug crimes, who would the government prey on? Innocent people who just want to experience a high in tough times are thrown in the jail. Over thirteen million marijuana related arrests were made in 2010. Our prison systems are full and there is no sign of these arrests to decrease (http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Marijuana#Total). America has almost a quarter of the world's prisoners in its own prison system (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/americas/23iht-23prison.12253738.html?pagewanted=all). The government is in so much debt, yet they spend money on drug related crimes that could simply be solved by staying out of the business. If there is a great demand for something illegal, other illegal activities will follow to deliver the supply. They need to legalize it and let the market take care of things. Legitimate businesses will grow around the industry. They are hanging on to this law because their own kind will lose their jobs. All of the government spending that could be saved by legalizing an industry could be spent on much needed infrastructure and other important needs of the nation where the government should be concerned about rather than our setting restrictions on our inalienable rights.