Political Violence and Government Importance

Benjamin Franklin Gates: Of all the ideas that became the United States, there's a line here that's at the heart of all the others. "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government and provide new guards for their future security." People don't talk that way anymore.
Riley Poole: Beautiful. I have no idea what you said.
Benjamin Franklin Gates: It means. if there's something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.
--National Treasure

This article posits that, to curb political violence, government needs to be made less important. This proposition ignores the idea that, in a democracy where majorities claim legitimate control of human action, peaceful reduction of government scope is unlikely.

Instead, conflict will continue to escalate between parties seeking to gain control of the strong arm of government until society devolves into chaos.

The reverse of the article's proposition seems more valid. To make government less important, political violence may be necessary. Witness, for instance, the American Revolution.