The Quality of our Institutions - Governments

The fifth and final institution that Robert Greenleaf was concerned about was government. It is perhaps his most poignant judgment of all the societal institutions in which he writes. Here is what he says:

Governments rely too much on coercion and too little on persuasion, leadership, and example. Although they render indespensable services, they too often impose upon society a bureaucracy that is oppressive and corrupting. Rarely does conceptual and inspired leadership come from government. Although we wish for it, we have learned not to expect it. The doctrine of countervailing power, pitting one segment of society as an offsetting force against another, is too freely substituted for creative solutions. We are prone to adventurous and illegal wars. Confidence in the integrity of elected officials is at a low point. The total tax structure is a perversion. The treatment of prisoners is barbaric. The cost of it all is staggering.