How the Government Damages the Authority of Natural Leaders
Any group that has ever existed has leaders. This is true whether the group voluntarily assembles or is forced into assembly. Leadership comes in many styles, but there are common attributes of good leaders. They include: charisma, competence, decisiveness, integrity, and enthusiasm1. Within a group of people, these qualities likely won’t be isolated to a single person. So what makes a person a leader? Simple, authority.
The authority to lead a group is one of the foundations of human sociology. Since every group has leaders, there must be common attributes to authority. Where does it come from? How is authority assigned? What legitimizes authority? Max Weber, a German sociologist [1864-1920], first categorized authority into three groups: charismatic, traditional, and legal2.
Natural Authority
Weber describes charismatic authority as authority based on a leader’s personal qualities3. I think a better, more descriptive label is Natural Authority. Natural authority figures surround us in everyday life. Unlike legal authorities, people happily pay money to hear these people speak. These special leaders don’t have a degree or certification that grants them authority. Rather, they are experts in their fields, likable, and charismatic.
A good example is Peyton Manning4. Football coaches and aspiring quarterbacks pay good money to hear what he has to say. Manning doesn’t have a ‘quarterback’ degree or a government certification. However, the football community still recognizes him as a leader because he is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. There are other great quarterbacks too but they choose not to lead. Manning’s authority is based upon his reputation, charisma, and enthusiasm [to lead].
In podcasting, Joe Rogan is a natural authority. In personal finance, Dave Ramsey is good example. And, in foreign policy, Scott Horton is another great example. Each of them exude leadership qualities and they work hard to maintain their reputations as authority figures. The masses develop trust in these people and happily listen to their advise, even when outside of their realm of expertise5.
Government to the Rescue
In a completely free society, natural authority figures would also serve as community leaders. But government uses force to break the organic relationship between natural leaders and society. Instead of a system that promotes the best, the winner-takes-all nature of politics forces voters into picking the lesser of two evils. With a monopoly to control a given area, the bureaucratic state rules without natural leaders.
Think about it. Do you know who leads the department of health, education, roads, public safety, etc. in your town, state, or national governments? You should, but you likely don’t. These should be charismatic, trustworthy people with years of expertise as natural authorities.
Instead they are career bureaucrats will little to no marketable skills. They are the polar opposite of natural authorities. They only have jobs because the power of the State and you only follow their rules because of force. I can’t think a more extreme example than Anthony Fauci. Without the great and awesome power of the US government, nobody would listen to a word he has to say6.
Fix Government
With everything that government does today, there is disharmony between its leaders and the people. People instinctively feel this, even if they can’t quantify the exact terms. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are solutions to these problems. Government can be structured to better align natural and legal authority. There can be harmony between the governed and the rulers.
The first step is to take away power and control. Regardless of how well intentioned, nobody wants to be told what to do, especially when not concerned with public policy or safety. Who wants to ask permission before buying a ‘gas guzzling’ car, or deciding what toilet is best for them? To put it bluntly, the government controls too much of our daily lives. To fix the problem, the power of regulation must be transferred from the government back to natural authorities. Companies like Consumer Reports and UL are natural authorities that would better help consumers decide what car to buy and which toilet is best. Why would anybody actually want a bureaucrat involved in this process?
The next step is to scale down the absolute size of government. People were not made to live in massive nation states. Governments with more than 10 million people are unnatural and simply wouldn’t exist without massive militaries. Both China and Russia would split apart into many dozens of smaller countries if not for their respective militaries7. The US would have split long ago had it not been for its military, i.e. the Civil War8. The smaller the country, the easier it is to align incentives of the rulers with the people. And, the easier it would be for natural authority figures to rise to power.
Time to Rethink the Structure of Government
The final step is to completely restructure government. Most countries are broken into 2 or 3 branches, with the implication that power is separated. However, those branches of government have unlimited reign and can legislate every aspect of life. A much better solution would break power apart into numerous competing micro-governments or departments. These departments would function independently of each other and be restricted to specific, limited realms. The main way to align incentives is to keep the budgets for each department completely isolated from one another.
An example would be a micro-government that is only concerned with roads. It would have the power to build roads and regulate and tax usage of roads. People would elect leaders directly to the department, ideally natural authorities in transportation. Since the power and concern for the department is so limited, candidates with the affinity towards transportation would outshine the ladder-climbing political types.
To really limit overreach and keep incentives align with the people, voters would approve tax changes based proportionally on their tax burdens. Keeping with the example of roads, the drivers’ votes would be weighted upon how far they drive each year.
In a system like this, government would struggle to out grow its usefulness. Further, it would be small enough to keep rulers and the ruled in a closer, more natural relationship. In a society like this, they would choose leaders with the natural authority for their respective department / micro-government.
Concordia
In the book, Concordia, There Must be a Better Way, a team of dedicated pioneers establishes a new nation. These pioneers build a government that is split into a multitude of independent micro-governments. Not only does this structure limit the growth and abuse of government power, but it also keeps the role of government aligned with the wishes of the people.
What would you do if you had the opportunity to start from scratch? How would you balance freedom, liberty, and justice, while assuring that investors are rewarded for taking a risk on your enterprise.
To found out what happens, buy the book now on Amazon. It is an exciting novel that challenges your assumptions and entertains you in the process.
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