I disagree when you explained the concept of > "When we're doing well, we shouldn't have to thank the government, but when things go wrong, we shouldn't think of putting the blame on the government..." There are many instances when the government can really screw things up even if they had very limited control. Since we rely on them for our international safety, they can make some "strategic" decisions that backfire and the citizens have to pay the price for it. It is impossible for them not to make a mistake even if their power was severely limited for more than it is now. There always will be some form of blame and equally some form of thanks. The goal is to mitigate the quantity of both, as shared by Bastiat, since that means the government is not getting involved with much and is mostly hands off. Your commment on laws cancelling each other out is valid, however, it is impossible to create a structure where there is a limit to the amount of laws passed. Society is always changing and with change comes additional need for order, within a reason. The key is to work with the people to not overdue the legal aspect of things. In scenarios like the Patriot act, the government didn't even tell the citizens that they were actively spying on all of them and had their identification. This is far beyond the middle ground of finding a way to adhere to the needs of the citizens and is blatant sabotage to the values that founded this country. Overall, it is important to find a balance between government control and freedom of the people. Everyone should have the right to speak their mind and not be silenced, as this is the only way to combat tyranny. Throughout most of civilization, people were tortured and killed if they spoke out against their leadership. We finally live in a time where, if enough people complain, changes are made. Even if I don't agree with some of the changes that people avocate, I appreciate the ability for us to voice our opinions far greater than those policies being implemented. Bastiat thought similarly and even pushed it to the other side of the pendulum when he made comments about the society being mostly run by the people and barely any government interference. At the end of the day, we need to do our best to maintain balance.