Analysis Of Roger Scruton's The Good Of Government

As government in the United States of America grows more complex, conservative citizens increasingly fear that America’s government has overextended itself. They dread that they will come to live under an oppressive and tyrannical regime, and these fears are causing conservatives to react irrationally. As a result, Roger Scruton, in his article The Good of Government, sets out to assuage his fellow conservatives’ fear of American government. Scruton argues that contrary to the common conservative belief, American government is “natural to to the human condition” and “wrapped into the very fibers of our social being.” And while Scruton’s argument is valid, his concept of American government is fundamentally flawed. Scruton preaches that the foundation of American government is built upon “the human disposition to hold each other to account for what we do” and …show more content…
However, Scruton fails to realize that although the “ordinary American” possesses the freedoms promised in the Constitution, not every American has received those rights.
One such group is the LGBT community. Although gay marriage is now legal in 36 states (“36 States”), it is important to realize that this signifies that there are 14 states that ban gay marriage, which directly contradicts Scruton’s image of a fair and just government for every citizen residing within America. If one couple can marry whilst another couple cannot, then the latter couple is inherently less privileged. Moreover, 15-43% of LGBT employees have experienced some form of discrimination in the workplace (Burns), and 21 states within the United States of America do not have any form of