OPINION: Why Is Troy Davis Dead?

Troy Davis was executed Wednesday evening against the backdrop of an election season that includes an array of big government opponents, Texas Governor Rick Perry among the most prominent.

Since entering the race, Perry has pledged to limit federal involvement in America’s economy and day-to-day life. He’s also shed doubt on the authority of state governments, slamming former Governor Mitt Romney for requiring Massachusetts’s residents to purchase health insurance.

Yet, regardless of his distrust, he seems more than comfortable with government taking the lives of its citizens. So much so that under his stewardship, over 200 Texans were killed.

Nobody believes government is perfect.

Be it state or federal, even the biggest cheerleader of regulations or safety nets recognizes that government is comprised of people who are capable of making stupid mistakes.

On the other side of the political spectrum, there are those who hold a more pessimistic view of their civil servants, who believe the government is ineffective, incompetent or, in the minds of many tea partiers, flat-out sinister.

While each party varies over how much credence should be given to the state, there is some consensus- that Americans are not commanded by some infallible structure.

But despite this agreement, the death penalty continues, and its poster child is among those who philosophically should be its biggest opponents.

Which is why it’s so absurd that on the same day an imperfect Justice Department was revealed to have spent $16 on muffins, Davis died to so little outrage.

There’s no clear line of reasoning wherein you can believe the government is imperfect, but be fully comfortable with executions. If you believe social safety nets represent big government overreach, or that a private insurance mandate is tantamount to totalitarianism, or that, in the words of Reagan, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help” is a terrifying phrase, then you should be disgusted that Troy Davis is dead.