Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Government is an unnecessary evil. Every government, not just the ones you dislike. The governments you are encouraged to hate are no worse than the one you look to for advice on which ones to hate. In fact, they are less harmful to you since they aren’t able to rule or tax you. People who try to justify government often admit it’s evil. Thomas Paine, in his pamphlet Common Sense from 1776, wrote, ‘Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.’ This doesn’t hold water. If something is evil, it’s not necessary, and if it’s necessary, it can’t be evil. It’s like arguing for a square circle. It’s one or the other, and government is always intolerable.” (08/13/25)