Society vs. Government

The pamphlet begins with comments about government.  He believes that people have a tendency to confuse government with society.  He states, “Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting or affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices.”   He believed society was good but government was a necessary evil due to man’s vices.  He felt government’s fundamental purpose was to provide security and the successful government was able to fulfill this role by restraining the evil in man.  Society on the other hand was a force to promote “our happiness positively”. 

Beginnings of Society

Paine used an example of a small number of people placed in a small region of land, cut off from all humanity.  Unable to live alone, they found themselves working together in order to avoid solitude.  Together they would build shelters, feed, and clothe themselves.  They were creating a society.  As long as they treated each other with respect they would need no law.  However, in order to account for defects in human nature, law and order would have to be initiated. 

Concept of a Government

As society grew, so did government have to grow and representation had to begin.  Paine believed that “the more simple any thing is, the less likely it is to be disordered.”  He attacks the British constitution because of its “complexity”.   He also doesn’t believe that the British government has a system of checks and balances.

The Government today

Today our government appears to be trying to promote “our happiness positively”.   I wonder what Thomas Paine would have thought about our government today?  It is doubtful he would like the way government interferes with society.   I think he would wonder if government had an ulterior motive for trying to be involved in our happiness.

Thomas Paine was against the complexity of Government.  The complexity of passing a bill in the government today usually has a lot of “pork” in it and needing a lawyer to be able to read it, would have been objectionable, based on what Thomas Paine thought of government. 

Our government doesn’t appear to be listening to the people only to themselves and filling their pockets with our money.  Government appears no longer to be “by the people, of the people, and for the people, but it stead it wants to “sock it to the people”.

Unfortunately this hasn’t occurred over night.  This has been coming on for years. 

We have allowed our representatives free hand in doing what ever they want.  Our government seems out of touch and out of step with the people.  The lack of representation in our congress and senate shows how far we have gone away from the founding fathers.  Thomas Paine would probably frown on the complexity of our government today.  He would have considered our government to day to be evil. 

And the electoral college would probably not be a system Thomas Paine would have endorsed.  He would have pushed for the popular voting system.

Thomas Paine would be irate at the way government is spending the taxpayer’s money as if “Debt Isn’t Bad”.

I don’t know if we can wait until the next election to sound the trumpet of alarm.  But we need to shake up or representatives and senators and get them to pay attention to what they are doing and to needs and desires of the people.