I always think that an equally strong argument against expanding power is the “genie out of the bottle” effect – once the power is granted it’s near impossible to eliminate it – and even if the person (or people) who wield the power today are virtuous and clean and are doing the right thing, the next guy to fill the position might not be and the average American voter simply has not shown himself capable of being sufficiently informed to insure “virtuous” people are elected or to hold those who are in office accountable for slips.

In the early Clinton years – every time someone asked me why I didn’t support giving Clinton and/or Congress some new power to do some new “wonderful” thing, I always responded with the question – “would you be as excited to give the presidency this power if you knew that the Clinton’s successor was going to be Pat Buchannan?” Most people weren’t nearly as enthused when they thought what the next guy might do with the new power they were so willing to give to a “good guy.”

Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, the “good guys” in your universe will not hold power indefinitely – and unless you are okay with what the “bad guys” might do with power, you should be hesitant to give even your own side more power.