"The Lenses of Reformation
Concerning the Price Tag of a Bureaucratic Government"
By Patti Amsden
The best form of government is self-government. On a personal level, that means that each person understands the “rules” of living together with others and voluntarily internalizes those rules. Then, the individual uses the internal standard as the rule of conduct when making decisions. One who is self-governed does not need to be governed by an external force.
Reformation lens #1 – Self-governance is the best form of government.
Self-government is abandoned for two main reasons: 1) when the individual does not assume personal responsibility and acts in such a way as to bring harm to others thus invoking external powers (parents, employers, civil rulers) to impose “rules” or 2) when the external powers seek to build systems where the individual is stripped of choice and responsibility in favor of the locus of power being awarded to the external governors (civil rulers).
Reformation lens #2 – Godless men build systems that strip individuals of responsibility and self-governance in favor of power going to bureaucracies.
The bigger the organization, the more critical it becomes that the administration is decentralized; or self-governance will be forfeited and bureaucratic centralization will occur. Centralization is more expensive than decentralization because more levels of bureaucracies incur extra costs. Decentralization is more efficient than centralization because those closest to the problem will have the greatest motivation to find a solution and govern the situation.
Reformation lens #3 - National, state, and local government structures continually migrate to greater levels of centralization thus costing more, operating with higher levels of inefficiency, and robbing the citizens of self-governance.
As Reformers - let's think about the repercussions of a bureaucratic state government that strips its citizens of power associated with self-government and robs them of their liberty. A self-governing individual will control his passions so as not to become a criminal. He will work hard, practice stewardship of assets, pay incurred debts, and lay up resources for himself and his posterity. A self-governed man appreciates his liberty to make decisions and the right of his neighbor to, likewise, have the liberty to govern life and property. Respect for one’s neighbor fosters charity toward one’s neighbor. A self-governed man tends to be a charitable citizen. Conversely, bureaucratic or pyramid–style governments authorize those at the top of the pyramid to make most of the decisions while forcing those at the bottom to labor for and pay for the plans, policies, and decisions of the elite rulers. Not only is self-governance stripped, but the lower-level populace becomes enslaved to the edicts of those in power. Centralization creates a class of slaves who labor to fulfill the plans of the ruling elite. Illinois’ current unbalanced budget testifies that the state continually empowers the oligarchy and its bureaucratic structures and, thus, robs the people of their liberty and their money. Even higher taxes cannot pay the bill and the debt that this 2024 budget demands.
Reformation lens #1 – Self-governance is the best form of government.
Self-government is abandoned for two main reasons: 1) when the individual does not assume personal responsibility and acts in such a way as to bring harm to others thus invoking external powers (parents, employers, civil rulers) to impose “rules” or 2) when the external powers seek to build systems where the individual is stripped of choice and responsibility in favor of the locus of power being awarded to the external governors (civil rulers).
Reformation lens #2 – Godless men build systems that strip individuals of responsibility and self-governance in favor of power going to bureaucracies.
The bigger the organization, the more critical it becomes that the administration is decentralized; or self-governance will be forfeited and bureaucratic centralization will occur. Centralization is more expensive than decentralization because more levels of bureaucracies incur extra costs. Decentralization is more efficient than centralization because those closest to the problem will have the greatest motivation to find a solution and govern the situation.
Reformation lens #3 - National, state, and local government structures continually migrate to greater levels of centralization thus costing more, operating with higher levels of inefficiency, and robbing the citizens of self-governance.
As Reformers - let's think about the repercussions of a bureaucratic state government that strips its citizens of power associated with self-government and robs them of their liberty. A self-governing individual will control his passions so as not to become a criminal. He will work hard, practice stewardship of assets, pay incurred debts, and lay up resources for himself and his posterity. A self-governed man appreciates his liberty to make decisions and the right of his neighbor to, likewise, have the liberty to govern life and property. Respect for one’s neighbor fosters charity toward one’s neighbor. A self-governed man tends to be a charitable citizen. Conversely, bureaucratic or pyramid–style governments authorize those at the top of the pyramid to make most of the decisions while forcing those at the bottom to labor for and pay for the plans, policies, and decisions of the elite rulers. Not only is self-governance stripped, but the lower-level populace becomes enslaved to the edicts of those in power. Centralization creates a class of slaves who labor to fulfill the plans of the ruling elite. Illinois’ current unbalanced budget testifies that the state continually empowers the oligarchy and its bureaucratic structures and, thus, robs the people of their liberty and their money. Even higher taxes cannot pay the bill and the debt that this 2024 budget demands.
