This was taken from a forum post of mine.

As a die-hard skeptic up until the point of borderline militancy (tempered by common sense and the benefit of life experience), I’ve progressively grown more concerned with a phenomenon within the skeptics “community” with regards to how Government is perceived.

Now, you’d figure that skepticism, critical thinking, and reasonable doubt would be the predominate stances involving all aspects of one’s life; especially when it comes to the intentions of an organization which has a direct effect on your life and the lives of everyone around you.

But instead, I’ve seen what seems to be an almost religious-level of faith in the goodness of Government. It’s almost as if many skeptics have replaced their belief in one “G-word” with another.

Maybe it’s just that many skeptics are averse to parties which espouse limited government because recently (the past 28 years) they’ve put themselves in bed with the religious right. Or maybe it’s because the “big government” parties always spend more money funding science and other pursuits which appeal to skeptics.

Regardless, the idea of giving progressively more power and responsibility over your life to the Government should be fundamentally abhorrent to someone who considers themselves skeptical and/or free-thinking.

Time and time again history has shown that people who seek government power often do so for their own benefit. And that the more power you give your government, the more likely it is to be abused.

So why any skeptic would advocate forcing individuals to turn over to the state the only means they have to ensure their individual sovereignty, is simply beyond my comprehension. The police don’t care about your safety, they’re just there to enforce laws after they’ve already been broken. Politicians can’t be trusted to care about your concerns beyond how they’ll affect their chances at retaining power.

Thomas Jefferson and his protege’ James Madison both knew that ensuring the sovereignty of the individual was the foundation of a truly free society. And the means of ensuring that, was to have an armed, educated population. Otherwise, the devils of our worst natures will always slide our governments down the slope into tyranny.