Americans, why do you have government if your founding fathers did not trust governments?

Answer 1

They learned from history that democracies Failed... Which is why they established a republic...
If you can keep it! As Ben Franklin said!

Answer 2

We need a government to uphold the rule of law so we can own property and also have stop lights and other rules that allow society to work smoothly. But America is in the process of change from a capatalistic, free market system that used to be based on a small government to a European style Socialist system. So the government is starting to play a much bigger role that the founding fathers never intended. Indeed, they would be horrified at the huge overbearing government we now have. However, Americans like Socialism and the government to tell them what to do from the time we get up in the morning until the time we go to bed. And we prefer giving most of our money to our huge government in taxes so it can spend it for us, rather than we thinking for ourselves how to spend it. So the rapid increase in the size and control of government is purely a preference by Americans over the last 30 years and no reflection of the founding fathers. Those days of freedom and self-government are on the way out.

Answer 3

The founding fathers knew we needed a government. Without a government, there is chaos. Who's going to control the people if there is no government? Who's going to make money? They did not want a strong central government. That's when they came up with the Articles of Confederation, which was a failure because each state had it's own government, as strong as the central government so they couldn't collect taxes, get people for war and they were having problems with their currencies because each state and the central governement had their own. Then they came up with Checks and Balances so that's why each branch of government now has 'equal' power. They set up a democracy because they believed in a government controlled by the people.

Answer 4

If you read what they (the founders) wrote you'd know that it wasn't governments they didn't trust it was people the didn't trust. They wrote their rules for governance to guard against elected individuals using the government to better their own positions and agendas, instead of working for the well being of the citizens. For the most part these rules worked up until the Bush government figured out a way to change some of their rules or just break them in the knowledge that they had done such a good job of controlling (brainwashing) the population that no one with any power would complain...........and so it was......and is......a minor rebellion took place in November when the citizens voted out of office many of those that supported what Bush and his cabinet had done, with hopes that the new power in government (the senate and congress) would reverse what Bush has done and return things to a more normal and historical way of governing. We wish them luck!

Answer 5

Who said they didn't trust government?
They realized that organization of a government was the only way "to form a more perfect union, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty" for themselves and their posterity.
Duh.
It was just those dang foreigners that they didn't trust. And given the events of the next forty years or so, they were proven correct in their distrust.

Answer 6

In answer to your stupid question, our founding fathers wanted a government controlled by the people which is what we have. When our leaders get out of hand, it changes via free and open elections.

Answer 7

To have no govenment is chaos. Our founding fathers wanted government appointed by the people, so we vote to elect people to represent us in govenment.
It may not work to everyone's satisfaction, but it's still the best system in the world.

Answer 8

It wasn't that they didn't trust the government, they didn't want a monarchy. They wanted a government of the people, for the people, and by the people.

Answer 9

It wasn't that our forefather's didn't trust government's. They knew England's government was wrong. So, they changed that, by making their own government, protecting the people. Example's: No taxation without representation, and no debtor's imprisonment.

Answer 10

We're trying to figure that out.

That's why we removed the government from Iraq to see how it would work without one.

So far, I think Iraq with no government is running a little bit better than America with a government headed by Dub ya.

Answer 11

It is our patriotic duty to not blindly trust our government and I think that our founding fathers would agree. I think that they would also agree that total anarchy doesn't work.