Saint Augustine was a devout Christian philosopher who lived more or less during the final stages of the decline of the Western Roman Empire (4th and 5th century A.D.). Though he does count as an ancient philosopher, he is more of a bridge between the older, classical philosophers and medieval philosophers than anything else. I found one of his lines particularly interesting, “if justice is absent, what is a state other than a large and successful band of robbers?”. Paired with his philosophy that we humans cannot possibly conceive of what God’s divine justice entails, the line introduces some very interesting questions about modern government.

Following Augustine’s logic, all governments, to some degree, are bands of robbers. Though many governments may not be so sinister, they are fundamentally redistributors of resources and wealth. The American government, for example, acquires and then redistributes tax dollars. I fear many are stuck under the misconception that the government just has money or creates money. The government is no more than a robber in the sense that it collects and subsequently apportions funds as it sees fit. To me, government spending is never the optimal solution, except in exceptional situations. In all areas where an individual can accomplish the same task, government spending is inherently inefficient. By nature of being a middleman, the government is fundamentally incapable of spending efficiently. It’s not rocket science, it is a simple equation. Even assuming that every dollar given out by the government to contractors or companies is spent efficiently, which it is not, the government is still inefficient. Spending personal funds requires no middleman, it goes straight from the consumer to the store. The government takes taxpayer dollars, deducts government worker salaries, operating costs, and whatever else they need, then give the remainder out. It is thus impossible for 100% of the tax revenue to be used towards improving the lives of taxpayers.

Now, the exception. Some areas require basic standards or a more charitable entity than companies or individuals, like roads or the military for example. If private individuals and the private sector attempted to tackle those problems, we would begin to have major issues with standards and with conglomerates taking over the world. So government spending in certain, limited areas is necessary and beneficial, even with inefficiency.

Government spending should never be the default solution to any problem, nor should raising taxes. I think I have made clear the presence of inherent inefficiencies and though I lack the mathematical prowess to quantify it, the deficit should be a clear sign of the inefficiency. The nation with the world’s highest GDP being somehow unable to bankroll its fully efficient annual operations seems a little far off, leading to the conclusion that it’s not efficient. It is tempting to turn towards the government to spend more and to tax more, but that’s just not the efficient way to handle problems. When an individual taxpayer can do the task themselves, the taxpayer should always be allowed to. The individual is leagues more efficient and more effective than the government.

_{Image caption:Stained glass depicting St. Augustine in the Neogothic chapel of the Ursulines, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver, Belgium.}