Ezra Taft Benson
Kindle Edition | Pages: 24 pages Rating: 4.47 | 539 Users | 56 Reviews
Present Based On Books The Proper Role of Government
| Title | : | The Proper Role of Government |
| Author | : | Ezra Taft Benson |
| Book Format | : | Kindle Edition |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 24 pages |
| Published | : | 1968 |
| Categories | : | Politics. Nonfiction. History. Government. Philosophy. Religion. Christianity. Lds |
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Benson expresses a classical American conservative viewpoint of government. The government has the duty to protect individuals rights, liberty and property but no right to redistribute wealth or establish welfare programs. This relies on the premise that individuals rights are god-given and the government is created by men. Thus the government is not legitimized to infringe on the individuals rights. The problem is that he just claims that these rights are given by God. If you don't already happen to believe that, there is nothing that Benson tries to convince you with. This fundamental premise is set completely arbitrarily. The same way you could just claim that collective rights, social equality and economic rights are god-given and you would end up with a completely different role of government. Actually the individual right to personal property, that Benson claims is god-given and eternal, has been developed in the enlightenment merely 300 years ago. For most of its existence human communities have been living in sharing economies. Individual property is a socially constructed right that was needed by economic elites at the outset of the Industrial Revolution to cement their privileges in society. You don't believe that? Okay, let's have a debate, but please don't just claim that what you happen to believe is god-given. Moreover, Benson relies in his argumentation on extensive quotes from Smith, Jefferson, Bastiat and others and he contributes very little argumentative value himself. Often he just says "as history has proven" without elaborating any further what he means or acknowledging that there are many different readings of history. The fact that he marks competing political ideas as "cancer" that have to be cut off from the political body is off putting and reminds me of the language that totalitarian regimes use to discredit their political enemies. Overall, I don't think this is worth reading, unless you are a conservative American and you want to read something that reaffirms what you already believe.Declare Books Supposing The Proper Role of Government
| Original Title: | The Proper Role of Government ASIN B003ATB8KY |
| Edition Language: | English URL http://www.zionsbest.com/proper_role.html |
Rating Based On Books The Proper Role of Government
Ratings: 4.47 From 539 Users | 56 ReviewsCriticize Based On Books The Proper Role of Government
I agree with quite a bit of the basic principle in this pamphlet, but I am troubled by the logic. He states "(I) believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society," but then his arguments rest on the fact that government is instituted by men and only possess the powers entrusted to them by the governed. If, in fact, governmentsUpdated 2-24-11: I read this for the second time, also watched the video at jbs.org. I was struck by how pertinent the information is for today's political climate. They were aware of the principles of correct government policy then and we are farther away than at that point in time. I wish people would wake up, open their eyes, and see the peril we are in. The United States is nearly lost! This is a must read for all LDS members and for anyone who cares about the United States. It is truly
I read this book on Saturday at our cousin's house and we proceeded to talk about the constitution and our government the whole rest of the day! It's a quick read that shed a different light for me on the direction our government is heading. Having total respect for the author, it's given me lots to think about!
A most excellent paper! Well researched!Just for an example, a sentence from the Alabama Constitution:That the sole object and only legitimate end of government is to protect the citizen in the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property, and when the government assumes other functions it is usurpation and oppression. (Art. 1, Sec. 35)
Starting with the dictionary-defined flaw that we should all agree on, Benson speaks of socialism as if synonymous with "feeding the poor" but fails to mention economic subsidies.He also gives a fictitious history of the fall of the Soviet Union - affording no credit to the Balkans, the Russian people, Gorbachev, mass executions and national hunger at the hands of Stalin, or Stalin's corruption *of* socialism itself - and attributes the entire collapse to the very concept of socialism. By this
Everyone in America should read this. If you understand the need and role of government then you won't vote stupid, and you won't ever wonder how to vote again. He teaches principles, not facts. You can read this online somewhere. It's really short. I've acted out the sheriff story many times to my children and to seminary students, etc. In five minutes everyone from the five year old to the teenager gets it!
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