Use of Government

I'll borrow one of Bill Maher's signature bits because it seems appropriate:

New Rule: Americans should stop trying to use the government to further their own agenda.

This is a fundamental problem. The government is all powerful. They make and enforce the laws. They print and control the money (or at least delegate it). They can tax at will. People know it and try to make it a tool for their own agenda. They think their use is just and right, whereas other uses are abuses of power.

The more powerful you are, the more influence you have in government.

Why not have a government that is there to prevent/punish criminal activity (including fraud) and settle civil disputes? Most everything else is a co-opt of the government's power for personal gain.