Introduction
JFK’s famous line, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” produced controversy over its origin, but not over its content. Friedman thinks neither side of the statement “expresses a relation between the citizen and his government that is worthy of the ideals of free men in a free society” (Friedman 1982, 10). One suggests a paternalistic state, the other suggests the state is a master.
To both sides, Friedman says, “To the free man, the country is the collection of individuals who compose it, not something over and above them” (Friedman 1982, 10). The government is a means, not a master. There is no national purpose except the consensus of the citizen’s purposes.
The free man asks wants to know how government can be used to achieve goals and protect freedoms, and how to stop government from squashing the freedoms it is meant to preserve. Two principles in the American Constitution can help us enjoy the benefits of government while avoiding the threat to freedom.
The first is that the scope of government must be limited; the major function has to be protection against foreign powers and citizens. It must preserve law and order, enforce private contracts, and foster competitive markets. Beyond this major function, it may allow us to achieve goals which could not be achieved individually, but any such use of government is dangerous. We need to rely primarily on the private sector as a check against government power.
The second principle is that government must be dispersed: “If government is to exercise power, better in the country than in the state, better in the state than in Washington” (Friedman 1982, 11).
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