Tocqueville and Overreach

Alexis de Tocqueville warned us of the dangers of paternalistic government in no uncertain terms. He visited America and was able to see the unique strengths and weaknesses of our Democratic system. He saw how much of our activity was controlled by the community, and the unique freedom that was possible in our country. While there was much informal organization of the people, he noticed that there was very little formal organization other than the government. While this works when the people are virtuous and strong and free, it presents some problems when the government remains stable and the rest of society has fragmented towards more individualistic tendencies. However, he saw that with no force to resist the state it would gradually grow as the people wanted to trade agency for comfort. Tocqueville did not describe the risk of the future American government as tyranny and coercion, but rather a soft sort of control that gradually eroded human capability through slowing our development and forcing many things to not exist through rules. People were hardly ever forced to act, but they were constantly forced to restrain from acting, leading to less discovery of all forms.

Tocqueville‘s point is extremely needed in America today where very little resistance is put up against non-coercive government action. People are extremely aware of the potential for tyranny as they vote in policies that create this dangerous form of control. In seeking to prevent the worst abuses of business or other citizens, we allow the government freedom to create countless rules. These laws are intended to only hem in the most extreme parts of society, yet they end up determining societal paths in ways that we cannot possibly predict. Non-coercive action can be just as dangerous as coercive government action because it provides no clear point to resist against. Additionally, we can be convinced that we are choosing the set of actions ourselves, even when they are promoted and enforced by law. When the world of the people and the government become subconsciously intermingled, the nature of political evolution is damaged beyond repair.…