The real meaning of governance
Jan 6, 2015, 1:27 PM | Updated: 1:27 pm
The upcoming presidential campaign will turn on fundamental disagreements about the nature of government and what it really means to govern. Democrats believe government exists to help people; since many segments of the populace always need help, progressives assume they can always benefit from more government. But conservatives understand the true consequences of growing government. According to the Oxford American Dictionary, “to govern” is “to control, influence, or regulate.”
With Hillary Clinton aspiring to govern, we ought to recall the term “governess”—the Mary Poppins figure who feeds you, clothes you, teaches you manners, and deploys the Nanny State in every aspect of life. Most Americans don’t look for this increase in governance.
Conservatives will win by mobilizing those who understand that relying on unelected bureaucrats to “control, influence or regulate” our reality leads to inevitable decline in self-reliance and, importantly, a decline in freedom as well.