Idaho Politics & Beyond — Proper Role of Government — Warnings From the Past America Can't Afford to Ignore. Why yesterday’s warnings matter more than ever in Idaho’s fight for freedom. The proper role of government. By Rep. David J Leavitt (12/12/25)

leavitt4idaho.substack.…

This is one of the best articles we have ever read about the proper role of government. Rep. Leavitt offers great eloquence and commonsense words. (We hope you’ll read the article instead of or in addition to our summary.)

Idaho and all of America are rapidly sliding from socialism into dependency, communism, and tyranny. People are being taught — from a very young age, often through public education — that government care is better than self care. We will lose everything, every freedom, if we allow ourselves to continue along this truly horrifying trajectory.

Please ask every legislator to hang a copy of this post in his or her office before the 2026 session begins. And please share this post with fellow citizens who must learn to ask for fewer government handouts, more personal responsibility, and less fake compassion that robs one hardworking citizen to turn over their earnings to others (many illegally present and/or able bodied).

Charity must begin at home, church, or a willing community. It is NOT the proper role of government.

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Key Quotes

From Benson’s book “The Proper Role of Government”

Assume, for example, that we were farmers, and that we received a letter from the government telling us that we were going to get a thousand dollars this year for plowed up acreage.

But rather than the normal method of collection, we were to take this letter and collect $69.71 from Bill Brown, at such and such an address, and $82.47 from Henry Jones, $59.80 from a Bill Smith, and so on down the line; that these men would make up our farm subsidy.

Neither you nor I, nor would 99 percent of the farmers, walk up and ring a man’s doorbell, hold out a hand and say, ‘Give me what you’ve earned even though I have not.’

We simply wouldn’t do it because we would be facing directly the violation of a moral law, ‘Thou shalt not steal.’ In short, we would be held accountable for our actions.

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From Skousen’s book “The Naked Communist”

Take, for example, the problems of government. Marx and Engels would solve these problems by working for the day when they could eliminate government. Problems of morals would be solved by doing away with morals. Problems growing out of religion would be solved by doing away with religion. Problems of marriage, home and family would be eliminated by doing away with marriage, home and family.

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From Idaho Rep. David Leavitt

Government possesses only the powers that individuals themselves possess. If an individual has no moral right to commit an act, they cannot delegate that act to government. The proper role of government is therefore limited to securing rights, administering justice, and defending property. It is not empowered to redistribute wealth or force one person to carry the burdens of another.

This is not an argument against taxation itself. A constitutional government requires limited and reasonable taxation to perform its proper functions. The issue is not taxation, but forced redistribution that takes from one citizen to give to another.

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Summary (Grok ai, images from article)

David J. Leavitt discusses two books, Ezra Taft Benson’s “The Proper Role of Government” and Cleon Skousen’s “The Naked Communist,” linking their warnings to current Idaho issues including government growth, welfare spending, and cultural shifts.

Benson’s Views on Government Role

Government protects life, liberty, and property. It’s not meant to redistribute wealth. Government only has powers that individuals possess; it cannot morally take from one to give to another [ED NOTE Yet it does so with impunity].

• Example: Farmers collecting subsidies directly from neighbors would be theft, same as government redistribution.

• This “lawful plunder” erodes liberty and integrity.

• Jefferson described such government as piratical; Bastiat as legalized plunder.

• Principle: Law cannot create moral rights that individuals lack.

• Any compelled surrender of labor for others’ benefit is plunder by statute.

Consequences of Redistribution

Normalization of government taking from one group to give to another leads to dependency, resentment, faster government growth, eroded freedoms.

• Leavitt hears frustrations over welfare reductions but upholds principle.

• Compassion via force creates bitterness; real compassion protects individual freedom and dignity.

Skousen’s Warnings on Communism

Socialism/communism:

• Erodes society gradually by reshaping culture, weakening family, undermining faith, promoting state dependency. [ED NOTE: This perfectly describes the results of welfare and public education.]

• Is incompatible with constitutional republic.

• Centralizes power, contracts liberty.

• Uses equality language but results in state control. [ED NOTE: Did you ever hear the word “equity?” That’s code for communism!]

Connection Between Books

Drift from moral grounding leads to government filling family/ church/ community roles, increasing spending/programs that promise security but weaken independence.

• Citizens are influenced by emotion over principle; this pattern is emerging in Idaho.

• Restraining spending is seen as uncaring, but it’s the opposite: Government should stay limited.

• Minnesota example: Billions in welfare/food programs exploited, over $1 billion siphoned by Somali fraud networks, some funneled overseas; shows lawful plunder without accountability.

Future for Idaho

Idaho is at a crossroads. The 2027 legislative session decisions could determine sovereignty vs. centralized dependency.

• Warnings apply to growing government, federal influence, programs costing liberty.

• Leavitt commits to state sovereignty, personal responsibility, limited government; restrain spending, defend parental authority, oppose federal intrusion/collectivism.

• Idaho can choose freedom where families/communities shape the state, not agencies/bureaucracies.

Related:

• The Proper Role of Government. By Ezra Taft Benson: a.co/d/5hKqJE5

• The Naked Communist by Cleon Skousen: