ShareThisAt a minimum, the function of any government is to provide physical security for its citizens. During the current economic crisis, the government has taken on the task of protecting much more -- banks, businesses, homes and jobs, among other things.
Of course, most Western governments have long offered their citizens more than law and order. The French, for example, enjoy a government-guaranteed 35-hour workweek, lifetime employment, six weeks' paid annual vacation, health and childcare, maternity benefits, and a pension. For these benefits, French citizens are obliged to pay horrendously high taxes.
Governments are invariably inclined to do much more than play policeman and Santa Claus. They demand not only that citizens leave their neighbors in peace but also that individuals be responsible for themselves. If you own a motorcycle, the government demands that you wear a helmet; if you drive a car or truck, you must wear a seat belt to protect yourself. You must also carry liability insurance.
The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount do not make such demands. But government paternalism, based on a cynical assessment of human nature, recognizes that otherwise law-abiding citizens are often irresponsible about their own well-being.
So government appeals to our better natures by means of incentives. For example, 10,000 Missourians are barred for life from gambling on that state's riverboats. They are compulsive gamblers who agreed to put their names on an official list, understanding that they will be jailed and have their earnings confiscated if they return to the gaming tables.
President Bush promoted tax-favored medical savings accounts, hoping to persuade citizens to protect themselves with private health insurance policies. Massachusetts chose a tougher line, requiring all of its citizens to purchase health insurance.
Because most American companies no longer offer pensions for their employees, our government is considering whether to force every citizen to save for his and her retirement. The "sweeteners" for saving might consist of tax breaks for employees and matching contributions from their employers.
"The American Dream begins with saving money," Vice-President Dick Cheney famously preached. Admittedly, saving is a hard sell. Studies suggest, however that most Americans would be willing to go along with forced savings of their future earnings so long as it didn't reduce paychecks in the short term.
In some matters, government does not bother to entice responsible behavior but wields a heavy hand, notably in bans on drugs and on smoking in public, plus the taxes on tobacco and alcohol that some call "sin licenses."
The Economist opines that "people are jealous of their freedoms; yet they squander them...they lack self-command." At best, government can rescue them "from their own worst tendencies, but it does nothing to improve those tendencies."
For that, we would need to accept Jesus' invitation to change not only our behavior, but our hearts and minds as well.
David Yount's book Growing in Faith: A Guide for the Reluctant Christian (Seabury) is now in paperback. He answers readers at P.O. Box 2758, Woodbridge, VA 22195 and dyount(at)erols.com.
AMAZING GRACE
