In the 4th Grade, I ran for Lieutenant Governor in the Lincoln Elementary School mock Idaho government. As President of the Idaho Senate, I quickly realized what great influence I had among my peers to create laws. Being the oldest child and having strong religious experiences early in life, I certainly had an overdeveloped sense of right and wrong coupled with general bossiness. I truly believed that one day I would use elected office to make other people do what I thought was right and the society would be happier because of my leadership.
My senior year at Nampa High School, Mr. Bastian’s AP Government Class exposed me to the writings of our country's founders and I began to see that the form of government they labored to establish was not coincidental, but providential. They recognized the natural man’s lust for power. They set up a government that would limit my 4th grader ambitions.
Flash-forward to the year after I graduated from Brigham Young University in Construction Management. We were living near Greenville, South Carolina and I was working for a group of political Libertarians who had a fascinating employee reading program. I read “The Law” by Frederick Bastiat. From there my concept of liberty and how it relates to the proper role of government began to develop.
More recently I read Ezra Taft Benson’s essay on “The Proper Role of Government” and Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” and my political philosophy has really taken shape. “The 5000 Year Leap” has further confirmed my political beliefs. Add to this my years of religious development and understanding of such principles as “Agency” and “Opposition in All Things” which concepts are co-eternal with God and with which God will not destroy.
No longer do I see government through a 9 year old’s eyes, as a tool to force people to be good. Government is a necessary evil to be used only to protect our God-given rights of life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. Government should be powerful within the limits established by our founders.
Evil and greed, while they must be punished by the force of law if they violate the inalienable rights of others; evil and greed must exist in order for Good and Charity to exist. We cannot have true Liberty without the ability to choose for ourselves. True happiness cannot be achieved by being forced to do what one person believes is right.
I call upon my family, friends, and political leaders everywhere to help me restore our government to its proper place. Help me by speaking up against government control of that which ought to be in the hands of citizens. Help me by voting for people who campaign with promises to eliminate government programs and dissolve agencies that do not fit in the proper role of government. This applies to local, state, and national elections.
