Good Old Fashioned Government

I shouldn't really complain; it could have been worse . A trip to Canada this past weekend ended with me having to plead with a Spanish bureaucrat to convince him that I was an an American citizen. My NH driver's license wasn't good enough to get me home, or my knowledge of all of the presidents in chronological order backwards, and forwards(I am a teacher of US History after all)The threat of being detained for possibly hours, or days while my citizenship was verified loomed as large in my car window as did his bulbous nose. He sensed all of this I think, and thus released me with a stern reprimand, and admonishment that" if I had real I.D. with bar codes that could be scanned quickly, I would have been on my way without further ado, but since I had only a license, which must inputted manually, it would take much longer. I was standing in the way of government efficiency. I meekly offered the defense that "passports cost money,lots of it, and are a hassle to get nowadays".

What I really wanted to say was: "the hell with so-called efficiency". It is poisoning our food production, destroying the environment, squandering our financial security, and efficient entertainment is numbing the minds of our children. In fact, the last thing in the world that we should want is an efficient government, but that is what seems to be the test of a good government at least according to a study done by a major foundation. Our old fashion way of running government has put New Hampshire dead last in a Pew Foundation analysis of efficiency in state government.From the perspective of this Washington think tank and their government managers, New Hampshire is an "antiquated, odd ball state, hopelessly mired in the ideals of an 18th century decentralized republic that is suspicious of any form of centralized power". I took this as something of a backhanded compliment of which I am quite proud of as it affirms without doubt the reason that I want to live here. It seems to me that I can almost hear the applause of the founding brothers echoing from the top of Mt. Washington!

It is true that our structure of government has remained largely unchanged since 1784, three years before the US Constitution was adopted. And while other states have marched to the tune of "centralized government efficiency", the Granite State has stubbornly resisted. We have a large citizen Legislature, a slew of volunteer boards, a purposely weak executive that must deal with department heads that are independently elected, and an Executive Council that must approve all appointments, and expenditures. All of this is admittedly inefficient. It drives government bureaucrats and power hungry politicians absolutely mad! And it makes for one of the "freest states" in our nation.

It is my humble opinion that government operates best in small places where maximum participation is possible. From the Mayflower Compact to the New England town meeting, we have learned that the only way to control the abuses of government is by distributing its power as widely as possible, and encouraging the inherent distrust of anything that can become too large and powerful. It is, after all, our heritage. We are a nation of exiles, and immigrants, who left their homes because of their government's efficiency at denying their God-given rights.
The measure of a "good" government is not its efficiency, but rather its restraint. It is best when it allows maximum freedom and opportunity according to the will of the people.

When the powers that be speak of "patriotism, and security" and the need for efficiency in carrying out their jobs as defenders of these ideals, I am reminded of the words of one the founders in this regard,"Those who would surrender liberty for security deserve neither."

The revolution will not be televised!