I would like to help dispel a commonly held myth that the wealthier folks in our society, also known as the ruling class, would like to see governments play a smaller role in our country. What they really want is for governments to only provide the services that they need.

What we typically hear from these folks is that governments should really only be in the business of policing, the military and the court system. That fact shouldn’t come as any surprise because it is these three branches of government that are designed to ensure that the wealthy will have their property and privileges protected.
The police ensure that their vast personal and corporate wealth cannot be endangered without severe consequences.

The military ensures that any semblance of civil unrest to challenge the status quo will be quickly and violently repressed.

And the courts ensure that those with the deepest pockets can afford to keep their opponents mired in legal challenges until they run out of money. The courts are also increasingly responsible for ensuring that innocent folks who can’t afford the costs of a good defence will plead guilty to lesser charges in order to escape the real risk of being convicted of a much greater crime, or even just in order to keep their family from being bankrupted by the legal costs.

What the ruling class really wants is for everyone to pay for the services that best protect their interests while eliminating the services that are needed by the masses. You could call them selective anarchists — a so-called law-and-order agenda to protect those with the most property, and anarchy for everyone else.

PETER KEREK

Kamloops