Power is Magnetic to the Corruptible

Everything government does is harmful. The only positive thing it can do is to cease doing the harmful things it is already doing. Put another way, if there is such a thing as a ‘good’ politician, such a person would use all of their influence and abilities to stop government from accomplishing its goals.

They would vote against or veto every bill that increased taxes or spending or the scope of the state. They would vote for or sign only legislation which shrunk or impeded the state. They would abandon the farcical notion of the ‘proper role of government’ and work exclusively to inhibit, limit, and disrupt the state whenever and wherever possible.

Where are these politicians? Why can’t we find them? Could it be that the people who comprehend the fundamental and inescapable evils of statism don’t seek out power over their fellow man and therefore opt to eschew politics?

Frank Herbert explained the situation well when he said, “All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted.”