The Intrusion of Government on Personal Liberties, Essay Example

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks then President George W. Bush emphasized the need for more power given to the government, so as to prevent further such incidents. This particular speech is a classical example of a long-standing debate in politics: to what extent should government be given control and power over its citizens? Namely, is there not a threat that this control and power could become a new threat of tyranny? The answer to the question lies in the role one confers to government. To the extent that government should only exist so as to protect personal liberties, it follows that the government should never be justified in infringing on personal liberties.

The potential that the government can become tyrannical is a longstanding concept in American political thought. This is clear in the liberal foundations of the U.S. Constitution and other fundamental federal laws. The Bill of Rights, for example, was formulated specifically so as protect individual rights against their possible limitation by government. The logic behind this notion is clear: the government possesses power in a state. The citizens give power to the government. The government, as the most powerful entity in the system, can quickly become the citizen’s oppressor instead of his guarantor of liberty. For this reason, the power conferred to government must always be limited.

When the government faces a threat, it will be argued, it needs more power to combat possible offenses against its citizens. This is the argument of Bush, as well as the historical reasons behind McCarthyism. But such power can quickly become an oppressive system. The government, namely, because of the power it possesses, can quickly become the greatest terrorist and threat to the liberty of the people. Sacrificing liberty for security opens the individual to oppression from the government.

The United States was created with a political concept which intended to limit governmental power. This was done so as to guarantee personal liberties. Governments however crave more power. When liberties are exchanged so to give the government more power, one can suddenly find oneself in a situation of totalitarian oppression practiced by those who hold hegemony in the nation-state.