Government efficiency crushes liberty

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for September 1, 2024)

Government efficiency may sound like a worthy goal. To me, it sounds like the worst threat imaginable.

Historically, Germany's National Socialist government was efficient, as was Mussolini's fascist Italian government. Today, the Chinese communist government seems to be dangerously efficient. The US federal government, famous for its inefficiency, is still too efficient for comfort. Efficient government inevitably becomes too much government.

People who push for government efficiency often believe this would save tax dollars; efficiency is how they plan to keep tax money from being wasted as badly. Taxation is unethical and I would like to see it abolished in its entirety, but the last thing I want is to get all the government we are forced to pay for. I want some government inefficiency because that's the only place liberty can hide and survive.

An efficient government would use this efficiency to better spy on you and more tightly control everything you do. An efficient government would end up doing more to control you with the money available. An efficient government would find it easier to tax away every cent they claim you owe. It would continue to spend all it takes, and more. Politicians aren't going to steal less from you; they will keep taxing you but do more to you with this money.

An efficient government could track you all the time, and get the information instantaneously, to use the data against you. Didn't let your tires quite stop spinning at the stop sign, or going slightly faster than the arbitrary speed government edicts allow? Guaranteed extortion-- called a "ticket" by the armed extortionists.

It might end up with your food purchases being watched to see if you are costing nationalized healthcare more with your unhealthy eating habits. Would you be allowed to purchase that milkshake if the Surgeon General thinks it's bad for you, and if his bureaucracy can cancel the transaction in real time?

You may not believe it could ever go so far. You might be right, but I'm not willing to let you bet my life, liberty, or property on it.

If you don't realize how this efficient government could turn into a nightmare, you don't know history or human nature.

As long as I'm forced to tolerate governments crippling society, I want them as inefficient as possible. Even if this means it's painful. If it's painful, maybe fewer people will be willing to continue tolerating it. This might be our only hope.

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