Americans Don't Trust Washington to Solve Their Problems

According to a recent Pew poll, four out of five Americans don't trust Washington to solve their problems, and one in three view the American government as a "major threat" to their freedoms. Just 19 percent said they were "basically content" with the federal government, 56 percent said they were "frustrated," and 21 percent described themselves as angry.

Withdraw Consent!

A mere twenty-one percent of Americans believe that the US government has the consent of the governed. Twenty-one percent. One out of five Americans believe that the government has legitimacy. Absorb that for a moment. The oversized federal government has finally met its day of reckoning. Simply put, it's too big. But not too big to fail.

Three out of five find the government illegitimate. An overwhelming majority of Americans have rightfully denounced the empire. Despite anyone's stance on social contract theory, this clearly shows that a new government, if any, is needed, for whatever the reason may be. 

What predicament does this put us, the American people, in? What choices do we now have before us? It is very unfortunate to have ever reached a point like this, but we are ultimately left with just two choices: to stand idle and continue to watch the federal government grow, or to withdraw consent. Both are dangerous but for far different reasons. Continuing to submit to the federal government will inevitably lead to an oppressive regime (or maybe it already has) that neither upholds nor admires individual liberty, free markets, and peace. Here, it is the oppressive regime that is the danger. Withdrawing consent, however, will ultimately lead to a much smaller state, if any at all. The benefits of a small, even nonexistent, state are plenty: individual liberty, free markets, and peace. The danger, if this path is to be taken, lies in the uncertainty of how to achieve these ends.