Government Abuse Of Power

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Liberty is something that belongs to everyone and it is the government's job to protect it but not abuse their power, through free and fair elections also fair and speedy court trials. According to Merriam-Webster Liberty is the power to chose what you want. So in a sense liberty is the essence of freedom. Part of liberty is not being harmed by anyone else, for that reason government must have an even balance of liberty and protection of its people. This will prevent unlawful doings such as stealing. According to the Magna Carta “neither will we attack him or send anyone to attack him, except by the lawful judgement of his peers or by the law of the land.” This means that to decide if a liberty has been violated the decision must go through …show more content…

According to The Bill of Rights “raising or keeping a standard army within the kingdom in time of peace, unless it be with consent of parliament is against law.” So not only is the government trusted to protect the rights of the people, they have to be responsible with their own power. An abuse of power on either end of the spectrum would cost the people’s liberty greatly. This is so important to a government trying to establish a democracy, because it is easy to have corruption when so much power is at stake. Abusing power undermines liberty because it cheats the system and the people lose their say, if it were for example a case of rigged elections. Liberty can be insured through fair and all inclusive elections, checks and balances, as well as fair court trials. A government trying to establish a democracy should enforce this fundamental right as it is the basis of a democracy at its most basic …show more content…

If a government fails to give its people the right to vote or have their voice heard, they are not a democracy. To ensure the people get a say, the basis of the government's principles must demand it. According to the Petition of Rights “That no man hereafter be compelled to make or yield any gift, loan, benevolence, tax, such-like charge, without common consent by act of parliament.” Meaning no tax will be charged, or increased without the consent of the people, indirectly through a parliament or directly from the people. While popular sovereignty is the people having a say, it also is what holds all of these people together in a state. According to John Locke “unite into a Community, must be understood to give up all the power, necessary for the end which they unite into society, to the majority of the Community, unless they expressly agreed in any number greater than the majority.” For their own protection people give up the right to do things that are seen as crime today, in exchange for protection in the sovereign state. To establish this the government simply needs to have a loose control on its people and protected borders in most cases. The beautiful thing about the rights they lose is that they are agreed upon by a majority so everyone gets a say in what aspect they want protection from their government, and what

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