Is an Unjust Government Better Than No Government at All?

Is an unjust government better than no government at all?

INTRO: I do not agree that an unjust government is better than no government at all. Is it really logical to give your allegiance to a country whose government violates principles of fairness? I would have to agree with St. Augustine's famous quote, "an unjust law us no law at all," and therefore I think that an unjust government is no government at all.

CONTENTIONS:

a.) IF YOUR GOVERNMENT IS NOT LOYAL TO YOU THEN YOU DO NOT OWE IT YOUR ALLLEGIANCE. I do feel that one has a moral responsibility to obey just laws, but I also feel that one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.
• For example, America would still be just a province of Great Britain if it wasn't for our forefathers who stood up and rebelled against the laws which were clearly unjust.
• If it was acceptable for them to rebel, then it is definitely acceptable now.
• We are all under the assumption that the laws of the land are in place to protect our human welfare and to safe guard our property from being unjustly taken from us. It is not about the intent of the law but how the law is applied; history is obviously full of examples. I feel that it is always okay to stand up for what you believe in even if you stand alone.

b.) THE GOVERNMENT IS BASICALLY OVERSEEN BY THE RICH; THEREFORE THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT FAIR TO ALL.
• The reality is that society is predominantly controlled from the top. This is not a statement about whether this is right or wrong; it is merely a statement of fact.
• To deny the possibility of positive change at the top of society is to deny the possibility of positive change at all levels of society.
• Therefore I think that no government is better than an unjust government, because if you are not at the top of society then you basically don't have a say in what is best for you and others who are at your same economic status.
• If society is to be a better place all levels of society must be involved in the change process: rich, poor, powerful, and powerless.
• I feel that it is impossible for there to be equality in government if there is no equality in economy.

c.) OUR COUNTRY'S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS WERE ACCOMPLISHED BY PEOPLE WHO FOUGHT FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVED IN.
• Examples include winning an 8 hour work day, ending child labor laws, ending slavery, and ending segregation.
• As long as people obey unjust laws we will have an unjust government. Like my ancestors in the labor and civil rights movement, we have to be willing to take protest to the next level.
• These victories were not won through obedience of the law, or by respecting unjust authority; they were won through acts of civil disobedience.

CONCLUSION: I think that when the government operates in the corporate interest and against the public interest, the citizens do not owe it their allegiance. We are all born with individual rights as human beings, which the government should not, under any circumstances take away. Therefore, an unjust government is not better than any government at all.