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July 5, 2021
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We all knew a kid in school who just had to run everything. Remember the classmate who insisted on picking the games you’d all play at recess, where you’d go after school, even who was “in” or “out” of your group? In high school, that kid had a compulsive need to be the leader of every student organization. You just wanted to say, “Hey! You’re not the boss of me!” Whatever happened to those kids? I wouldn’t be surprised if most ended up in government. We certainly have no shortage of people there who think they know how to live your life and spend your paycheck better than you do.

I’m convinced the world is divided into people who just want to live their own lives and those who, for some reason, have an uncontrollable urge to tell everyone else how to live. Unfortunately, to that latter group, government seems like the ideal place to work, and at the moment, they are getting 99.9% of all the attention from the media. As more of them gravitated toward government, Congress abdicated much of its legislating authority to unelected bureaucrats. Their bureaus grew like kudzu, and so did their regulations with the force of law (but no input from the people.) Then one day, we looked up and discovered we had a crushing national debt and were paying huge salaries to an army of people who enforce how big your soda should be and who couldn’t be fired and who is allowed to come into your daughter’s locker room. That’s when sane people realized that government is the LAST place these out-of-control control freaks needed to be.

The temptation for government to overreach is hardly new. In fact, it stretches back to the beginning of recorded history, and I bet even earlier than that. There’s a story in the ninth chapter of the book of Judges in the Old Testament about Gideon’s son Abimelech, who craved leadership and stature - not to serve the people but to control them and make them serve him. He said, “Give me dominion over your lives, and I will simplify your existence.” Wow, does that sound familiar? It’s basically the entire 2020 Democratic platform. Our government has taken us pretty far down that same road, but does your life seem any simpler -- or just a lot less free?

Anyway, back to Abimelech. He had a very smart younger brother, Jotham, who came up with a clever tale about three trees: an olive tree, a fig tree, and a vine tree. All three were fine trees that produced lots of fruit. All were offered the exalted position of “King Of All Trees,” but all three turned it down. The plant that wanted to be “King Of All Trees” was the bramble bush, a weak plant that produces no fruit at all. Jotham’s point was that only the weak and nonproductive have the desire to rule everyone else. Does that lesson not resonate like a gong right now?

When anyone aspires to a position of power, take a long, hard look. If that person seemingly crawled out of the cradle with an ambition to be President, then beware! Anytime someone talks about “running the country,” alarm bells should sound. No one – not the President, not Congress, no one person – “runs the country” or should aspire to. That’s why the Founders took such pains to divide and limit federal power, and why we need to reinstate those limits that have been blurred in recent years, whether by Presidents ruling via executive order or out-of-control judges legislating from the bench or unelected bureaucrats abusing their power to try to influence the results of elections. If we allow any one person or entity to ignore those limits and assume the power to run everything, we won’t be able to stop them when they run America into the ground.

We should pick leaders who resemble the trees in the Bible story that don’t need or crave power but that have shown they bear good fruit. As it is said, by their fruits ye shall know them. Government has more than enough nuts already.

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Comments 1-25 of 39

  • Liz Rome

    07/07/2021 04:11 PM

    So true- excellent parable.

  • Cliff Garrison

    07/06/2021 12:57 PM

    All of the beaurocracies should be examined and all power for them to write rules and regulations stripped away. Further, the vast majority of them are not needed and they should be shut down.

  • Helen Tritt

    07/06/2021 10:45 AM

    Yes, this is an excellent report Gov. Huckabee. The leadership in America is not STRONG ENOUGH to support the Backbone they need to FOLLOW THROUGH with RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WHAT IS "BEST FOR THE COUNTRY, NOT JUST THEIR OWN POLITICS." We need more Leaders who are not afraid to Stand Out to do What is Right! President Trump is a perfect EXAMPLE OF LEADERSHIP WE NEED MORE OF.

  • Phil Spampinato

    07/06/2021 10:14 AM

    Your essay was concise, I have felt this way since childhood. Never expected to hear this point of view. Thanks Gov! Keep up the good work and sharing enlightened thoughts!

  • Larry Davis

    07/06/2021 09:11 AM

    I couldn't have said it any better. Thank you Mike, this was on the spot.

  • Audrey Waxmonsky

    07/06/2021 08:56 AM

    When I was in high school, I noticed something similar. The jocks would circle around my desk during big tests because they knew I studied.
    All of them turned out to be Democratic politicians in my area of PA.

  • Timothy Broman

    07/05/2021 10:59 PM

    Amen to this.
    Biggest question is, How do you actually take the reigns and turn things around?
    People who crave power don’t let go!

  • LaVarre Bushman

    07/05/2021 09:15 PM

    Please follow the lead of Rush: He eschewed the term “Democratic” and favored just “Democrat” when referring to the political party.

  • James Bowden

    07/05/2021 09:06 PM

    Love the part about nuts. The same reason they used to call California the fruit salad state because it was full of fruits and nuts

  • Anita Drake

    07/05/2021 09:00 PM

    I value your newsletter. I especially like the daily bible verse.

  • Joe Henderson

    07/05/2021 06:40 PM

    Extraordinarily insightful application of scripture. Thanks!

  • GAry Stilwell

    07/05/2021 06:39 PM

    Mr. Huckabee,
    Your Essay is a perfect example of what is happening---and what is in store for the future of this Country.
    Jesus said to love your neighbor(even your enemy). If we all lived in the times that the Savior came into, it would be a lot easier for individuals to accept this philosophy--as they did--and as it spread throughout the known world.
    We(many) have turned our(their) attention to other "priorities"- not recognizing the basis for even our own existence., Allowing the "easy" way out of the situations we have created for ourselves, only to find we have to create more 'easy' ways out of the situation we created----kinda like a whirlpool---
    Watch the Govt actions--few abide the laws created, so we create more laws that will not be followed, and when those are not followed, we create more--on, and, on and on-until we lose the very reason why we created(or Jesus told us) to do the thing that saves all of us--the one Commandment--to treat others as the Lord treated Us.

  • Roger Saxton

    07/05/2021 06:17 PM

    I totally agree. Your essay was excellent.

  • James Robert Wine

    07/05/2021 06:08 PM

    I am writing this today today because I know and have seen what happens to the people around a large group. The situation dictates the reaction of the group. Anything from a slip and fall to a death. You have to keep in mind the severity of the situation and how to approach it. Keep in mind, cops, EMS, and fire might only have milliseconds to make a decision on how to approach a situation.

  • Diane

    07/05/2021 06:02 PM

    Awesome!

  • Corbin L Douthitt

    07/05/2021 05:54 PM

    The notion that DC is full of 'leaders' is ludicrous. We elect REPRESENTATIVES. Kinda part of the REPRESENTATIVE Republic concept. WE are supposed to be the leaders. Yet, we allow our education system to down grade education so that the younger generations have no clue about 'government' other than what they are told by liberal teachers and the media- plus the terminology used by our politicians. That one is the 'democracy' word that gets tossed around by Democrats and RINO GOP. our 'leaders' are not going to teach what it takes to overthrow or assert control over government.

  • Laurie Keiski

    07/05/2021 05:04 PM

    Most politicians are a hybrid of the world’s oldest profession and the world’s second oldest profession.

  • Paula Tammaro

    07/05/2021 04:57 PM

    If you study our founding documents, and our founding fathers' beliefs you would have to conclude that our country is a Systemic Christian Country. There is a free course at Hillsdale College on the Constitution. It is well worth taking. It was given from a Christian point of view.

  • Anderson, Kurt V

    07/05/2021 04:52 PM

    Really, really good essay which is “spot on”.

  • Ray Cowden Witter

    07/05/2021 04:40 PM

    Mike,
    This was one of your best.
    Thank You.
    Our current President was captured very well: it is all about him, not the American people.
    Biden is a narcissist. Egocentricity and Arrogance fit him to a "T".

  • Ricky M Smith

    07/05/2021 04:31 PM

    Mike;
    Enjoyed your article on, The Leaders We Need. After reading it, I thought... What would this world be like if our leaders would follow the guidance given in the Bible?
    Heaven om earth?

  • Eugene Reed

    07/05/2021 04:16 PM

    Mike -- I believe this has been happening for years already while most of the silent majority have had their heads in the sand! Unfortunately, it seems those of us who are becoming more and more aware of how far out of control our government is, the less we seem to be able to do about it.
    Send letters to our representatives would have helped at one time long ago, but today I feel we may as well use the letter to start our BBQ grills!
    We had a president who was doing some very good things, but he wasn't humble by any account. That cost former President Trump the presidency in 2020. Many of us like what he did, but didn't like his continuing diatribe on twitter and other social media.
    So, how do we the people get heard? How do we begin to drown out the tiny minority ruining the our country? Are there no options? I hate to contemplate our nation entering another civil conflict, but unless our majority can eviscerate the vocal majority, what are our options?
    Civil discourse doesn't seem to be withing the left's bag of tools.
    Regards,
    Frustrated in Missouri

  • Allen Hare

    07/05/2021 03:17 PM

    Just read your great essay on "The Leaders We Need". So well written and also spoken from the heart. Thank you Governor for a very special piece of TRUTH. I pray all who read it, including me, will stand firm and rid ourselves of this other "Plague" ....thanks again

  • Pam Martin

    07/05/2021 03:15 PM

    Thank you for this truth from the Bible that paints an incredibly true picture of many of today’s leaders!!

  • Janice McConnell

    07/05/2021 02:45 PM

    Right on!