Another Essay by Kim du Toit

One you need to go read.

This past week, I’ve engaged in several discussions both here and at other sites about how national emergency or calamity causes the power of the State to grow, and whether (in America’s case) this growth of power is either Constitutional or not.

The fact is that we’ve always struggled with this phenomenon, and the great strength of our nation is that we find compromise—indeed, what sets us apart from the rest of the world is our ability to do so. Where in Europe, the growth of the modern State has been a story of pretty much unchecked movement thereto, and elsewhere likewise, whether through an entrenched ruling class, theocracy or soviet institution, the growth of the State has been kept in check to a marked degree, by the popular effort.

This is not going to be seen by minarchists, anarchists and populists as being correct, of course, given that they tend to view the growth of State power as both dire and inexorable; but I have faith that in the end, the power of We The People to restrain the State will endure.

Let me start by giving a small historical example.

It only gets better. If you only read one blog post today, make it that one.