Thomas Paine, the great American freedom fighter, echoed the common sentiment among Americans that government is a necessary evil in a society of free men.

Because the laws governing society have become so complex, ordinary people often feel helplessly lost and feel they have to rely on experts just to perform basic, ordinary functions as citizens. Laws governing the voting process require proof of identification that can be difficult to obtain. The system of taxation has become opaque, fuzzy and susceptible to all forms of trickery and abuse.  Small business owners find themselves bound by a mind-numbing set of regulations that impede the basic economic engine of our country from growing, stifle innovation, and discourage the entrepreneurial spirit.

And our members of Congress have succumbed to the self-serving and amoral dictum, when fighting to fund this or that worthless project, that it’s going to be spent somewhere, so why not in my district? We certainly have lowered the standard for what’s right and wrong, haven’t we? In no small part because the laws are so complex and self-contradictory that we’ve almost been left with no other way to look at moral matters.