Government power and individual safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Government power and individual safety - Essay Example Any person should expect a semblance of safety also in his/her home and community. This means that the government will have the power to enforce laws and regulations that prevent people from trespassing in and damaging other people’s private property, for example. The government uses the police to catch criminals violating individual safety. At the same time, there should be a legislative component that tries suspects of these crimes. For example, if someone kills a person, this act gross violates individual safety. The government must then use its police and court system to ensure that the violated right of safety will be promoted and that justice will be served. The promotion of individual safety, however, should not undermine national safety. National safety refers to overall wellbeing of the people or of a large group of people. For instance, it can refer to protecting the life of a city. Terrorism directly impacts and kills numerous of lives and the government has once pr ioritized the protection of national safety over that of individual safety. Individual safety is important, but when national safety is paramount, the latter can be given emphasis by the government. A society without a governing authority will have no social order, and hence, no enjoyment of social liberties. The government needs power to have the â€Å"authority to set and enforce limits on individual freedom to maintain social order† for without social order, individual liberties will be meaningless (Bond and Smith, 2010, 114). Without a governing authority, any person can directly infringe on the personal freedoms of others. Criminals will fear no punishment, since there is no government. Crime rates will soar. People will no longer respect contracts and agreements. There will be no peace and social order. Chaos will reign. It is through a legitimate governing authority that social order will be implemented and individual liberties will have realization. This essay shows t hat the government should have enough power to secure individual safety, but not to the extent of sacrificing national safety, and that a society without a governing authority will have no social order, and hence, no enjoyment of social liberties. The government should promote individual safety and protect the rights of the individual, but national safety often is more important than individual safety. Finally, a legitimate governing authority provides social order will be implemented, where individual liberties will have realization and protection. Political Ideology: Individual and Social Progress or for Power and Influence over Society Political ideology refers to the set of beliefs of â€Å"what the government should do† (Bessette and Pitney, 2011, 252), as well as to the cultural, economic, social, and political beliefs of the majority of society. It means that it