What is Government? That is the question that Frederic Bastiat, a 1800’s French economist published three essays about that question. I know that my own personal definition of the term is a group of elected officials that help govern a specific county, state, or country. Bastiat in his first essay “Government” gives a comical definition of what most readers would most likely relate to of the word and through the piece alludes to the irony of what civilians expect to receive from government compared to the return. In the second essay “The Law” describes when the assistance the Government has the ability to provide is taken advantage of.
“All we know is, that it is a mysterious personage; and assuredly, it is the most solicited, the most tormented, the most overwhelmed, the most admired, the most accused, the most invoked, and the most provoked, of any personage in the world” (Bastiat 95). This was the definition of government given by Bastiat in his first essay in response to the prior question. While some may disagree, this quote is undoubtedly true. When I take time to think of our government there are times where I have sit and ponder to find a definition from my own knowledge of what the word means to me. I think of how it’s purpose is to consider the wellbeing over the civilians it’s governing over, provide free education to children to ensure that if given the opportunity that they could have the eligibility to attend higher education, food to those in need, yet the remainder is a mystery to me. Often, when people discuss about the body that governs the United States it is typically not positive. There are negative connotations that come to mind, specifically taxes and how they seem to not be appropriately allocated to the proper issues or even people, the large epidemic of homelessness that affects many families, and the lack of food in certain parts of the country. But how do we solve these issues? How is the government meant to find the funding to support when a large demographic believes that taxes, if anything, should be lowered.
What must be considered is in order for specific demands to be met is as Bastait puts it “it has two hands- one to receive and the other to give” (Bastiat 102), the Government can’t fund something out of nothing. Bastait further mentions how the people call on the Government to fulfill their promises of assistance with food, education, and work while refraining from taxing them. The two ideas that Government stands for are constantly clashing with one another, making it near impossible to please the people it was intended to prioritize in the first place “Government ought to give a great deal to the people, and take little from them” (Bastiat 104). On the contrary to this idea, while it is unpopular to tax, there are people who can greatly benefit from it either in a truthful or dishonest way. Bastiat identifies how while people complain, they are more than willing to live at the obligation of others. We the audience can see this when he says, “through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else” (Bastiat 99). This is not just seen in citizens abusing the Government's assistance but also in politicians, the people who work in the government.
Bastiat claims this is “Legal plunder” and is found in his second essay “The Law”. It isn’t incredibly uncommon as it had been mentioned in “The Law” that there were three observed types. Specifically, where there are a select few that plunder the vast majority, the other is where everyone subjects everyone else the enduring this fate, and finally where no one is experiencing being plundered. The third state is the goal for any if not every society, the government receives money and in turn it is put back into the community at large and everyone benefits.
So truly what is Government? Frederic Bastiat gives an example shrouded in humor that while may not be taken seriously, couldn’t be closer to the truth. We the people often don’t know what the Government is yet there are expectations that must be upheld. Those expectations could be in regard to services provided to the community at large regardless of financial situation or the lack of taxation that civilians wanted to be free of. It’s also wise to realize that there are positives to having a government, there are also negatives. Those negatives are when services, financial or otherwise are taken advantage of.
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