It was very interesting to hear your thoughts and opinions on the Bastiat essay. I especially liked what you said around the Government and their involvement in American society. You referenced in your paper “ he states on page 101,"There is the public on one side, Government on the other, considered as two different beings"(Bastiat). I agree with your statement that followed, stating: “We still have that problem and always will. You say the people run our government, but people don't even know our votes don't even matter.”(Hill, 2023). I am in complete agreement with your argument of the government being far too controlling in our society today. One common theme Bastiat explains through his papers is that the law is made in order to protect us. That is the opposite of what is going on in America's current society.
Today's government has confused people enough to the point where they don't even know their own gender. This is worse than the Stanford Prison Experiment. This is real life. In this situation the public are the prisoners and the government are the guards. They have manipulated the left with fear, much like how the guards did in the experiment. Yet, the far left continues to vote to revoke laws made in order to protect us. By defunding the police, the government has forced us to rely on them for protection. They continue to create reasons to take away citizens' firearms, if continued Americans will be left defenseless.
The far left needs to wake up and face the reality of what they have done to our Country. Bastiat would be ashamed. For those who say they agree with Bastiat's writing they should consider his warning on limited government intervention. I also think it is important to point out Bastiat includes God when talking about America and its Law. God used to be at the bases of American law, which gave people common ground on values and law. The culture today is slowly taking God out of the nation's principles and allowing people to break the law with no punishment. In ‘The Government’ Bastiat wrote: “For ourselves, we consider that Government is and ought to be nothing whatever but a common force organized, not to be an instrument of oppression and mutual plunder among citizens; but, on the contrary, to secure to every one his own, and to cause justice and security to reign.”(Bastiat Frédéric. 2011, pg. 107). One great example of where mutual plunder among citizens is taking place in California. Citizens are now living at the expense of one another. Small petty crimes and theft are no longer a crime in the State of California. Despite hearing about the constant brooding news from the State, the population votes in favor of state laws.
Bastiat does a fantastic job telling about what would happen in a world where the law is a suggestion and the Government holds all power. It is sad to see how far society has come since then, as we are basically living it. I really liked your reference to Bastiat stating that the public and Government are on different sides. All of what he states through that section reflects themes that are present in today's society. Unlike the Stanford prison experiment, we know how society has gotten to this point. It is the deception from the media/government and willingness of Americans to give up our small freedoms and laws.