LiveWire

A post by Maynard

The situation in Arizona is pushing everyone’s buttons. As we get drawn into various skirmishes, let’s not lose sight of what the war is about.

Fact 1: One of the primary responsibilities of a national government is to control its borders. A nation without borders isn’t a nation. The American government is doing plenty of stuff that a lot of us think is none of its business, but it fails to do its most basic job.

Fact 2: A big majority of Americans realize that Washington isn’t controlling the border, and we see this as a serious problem. This opinion crosses party lines and ethnic differences. We the people are largely in agreement that the status quo is unacceptable, and we also believe another amnesty is not a solution.

That’s why most Americans believe Arizona has taken a step in the right direction. Some polls: here and here.

Yes, the details are debatable. Do we actively deport? Do we penalize employers? Do we need a national ID card? Should local police check papers, or do schools and hospitals verify citizenship? I don’t have all the answers, but I think there’s enough general agreement to clarify a framework.

We broadly understand the direction we should be going, and then we get frustrated as we watch the situation deteriorate year after year. Our political leadership either does nothing or pushes in the wrong direction.

So…Why is our government out of control and out of touch?

In part, we see the problem when we look at ourselves. Maybe I’m a typical enabler of bad government. I assume government cannot help but be big and dumb. Trying to make government responsive is like trying to teach your cat to use a can opener. So I ignore government and focus on things I can actually do something about. Maybe I write a letter to my representatives occasionally, which they ignore, and then I feel like I’ve wasted my time. I pay my share (maybe more than my share) of tribute to Caesar. Otherwise I just carry on with my life.

In summary, my government has me well-trained. Send money, do what we say, know your place, don’t get uppity. I put up with this state of affairs because it’s either the easiest way to get along or maybe the only way to get along. If I ignore them, then I can reasonably hope they’ll ignore me. We can all coexist.

That’s just fine as long as government is a benign parasite that doesn’t kill its host. The problem is, it seems we’ve reached the point where catastrophe is on the agenda. We can’t ignore an out-of-control government that pushes so aggressively in the wrong direction that the nation, and perhaps even the world, will collapse. The lives of coming generations, and our own lives too, depend upon our rising to the occasion. This is the “mama grizzly” phenomenon Sarah Palin spoke of.

By threatening to become as politically potent as the special interests and kooky activists, we put politicians in an awkward position. Their knee-jerk reaction is first to ignore us, and then to marginalize us. This has always worked in the past, so they expect it will work again. And maybe they’re right. Or maybe this time we’re motivated enough to fight back effectively. Time will tell.

Peggy Noonan offered a nice analysis in her editorial, “The Big Alienation”.

We have an open, 2,000-mile border to our south, and the entity with the power to enforce the law and impose safety and order will not do it. Wall Street collapsed, taking Main Street’s money with it, and the government can’t really figure out what to do about it because the government itself was deeply implicated in the crash, and both political parties are full of people whose political careers have been made possible by Wall Street contributions. Meanwhile we pass huge laws, bills so comprehensive, omnibus and transformative that no one knows what’s in them and no one—literally, no one—knows how exactly they will be executed or interpreted. Citizens search for new laws online, pore over them at night, and come away knowing no more than they did before they typed “dot-gov.”

It is not that no one’s in control. Washington is full of people who insist they’re in control and who go to great lengths to display their power. It’s that no one takes responsibility and authority. Washington daily delivers to the people two stark and utterly conflicting messages: “We control everything” and “You’re on your own.”…

…Which brings us to Arizona and its much-criticized attempt to institute a law aimed at controlling its own border with Mexico. It is doing this because the federal government won’t, and because Arizonans have a crisis on their hands, areas on the border where criminal behavior flourishes, where there have been kidnappings, murders and gang violence.

The American people fear they are losing their place and authority in the daily, unwinding drama of American history. They feel increasingly alienated from their government. And alienation, again, is often followed by deep animosity, and animosity by the breaking up of things. If our leaders were farsighted not only for themselves but for the country, they would fix the border.

Arizona has made a statement, and is now taking the heat. The precedents are not encouraging. California’s Proposition 187, passed by 59% of the voters, essentially said that state services were provided for the benefit of legal residents. It seemed straightforward and reasonable enough, but a judge blocked implementation, and Gray Davis dropped the appeal.

We have gotten to this point because, in previous contests of government versus the people, government has prevailed. It may be the election in November will push things in a better direction. But Obama, unlike Bill Clinton, is not a pragmatist. He is not going to let up. So the dynamic of Washington versus America is likely to get a lot worse before it gets better.