Following my plea for a law banning cell phone use while driving, several friends asked if this were not inconsistent for someone who advocates individual freedom and limited government.

They have a point, but even libertarians concede the need for rules, regulations and laws. Of course, if everyone simply abided by the Ten Commandments and the golden rule, we probably would not even need a ­government, let alone reams of laws.

Regrettably, too many people flout even the laws we have, and no one in his right mind wants anarchy. So we have a Constitution, and we have a need for ever-changing laws to keep up with new technology — like cell phones.

This acknowledgment leads down a tricky path. There are always people in high places who think we the people need rigid control. They don’t think we are capable of running anything, so they persist in trampling on our Constitution as they seek to take over everything from banks to auto manufacturers to health care to education.

They have been around ever since progressives came to be. Sometimes they are called Woodrow Wilson. And now, Obama-Pelosi-Reid-Frank. Some are simply power-mad. Others genuinely think they know better — even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

Our Constitution has stood us in good stead for more than two centuries. It has been changed a number of times and will continue to need amendments. But it is not a document to be ignored or violated by so-called leaders who think it is outmoded and that they know best. In spite of all of our stumbling and mistakes and poor leadership, we remain the greatest nation on earth — the one everyone looks up to and wants to live in.

The main reason for this acclaim lies in our checks and balances found in the three major branches of government. We need to be eternally vigilant to thwart any who want to change that.

Laws and rules are necessary for everything we do. All governments have rules; all sports have rules; all associations have rules. Even families have rules. And with rules come umpires and referees who call the balls and strikes of life.

But the umpires do not dictate how you play the game. Obey the rules and they stay on the sidelines. Too many people in government want no part of the sidelines; they are not content to rule on the law — they want to rule us.

The biggest problem with a growing and determined-to-control government is ineptitude. There is no competition and no cap on hiring, so everyone’s brother-in-law is signed up and people fall all over each other trying to avoid facing reality. Add to that a president who arrogantly and constantly reminds us that he is commander-in-chief despite a total absence of any military experience, and the net result is ineffective government.

With each new scheme come new departments and thousands of new hires, put on the payroll primarily so they’ll vote for the people who hired them. This is a strong reason for term limitation.

Our current administration thinks that clever words will cure all. An example is how it goes out of its way to avoid using the word “terrorist” in the hope that this danger will disappear if we don’t name it. How naïve. And just as naïve are media that go out of their way to steer clear of the word “socialist.” But that’s the goal, and no whistling in the dark can cover it up.

This bunch in Washington clearly wants control. But they, themselves, are out of control and unless checked will spend us into oblivion and shove the country which has long been the envy of the world into that basket of losers called banana republics.

Fortunately, there is hope: A growing number of Americans are beginning to wise up and plan to vote them out. These are the citizens who say: Laws, yes. Control, no.

Allan Jefferys, a former New York theater critic and newsman, lives in Pinehurst. Contact him at oldjeff@embarqmail.com.