He asked for a better government at once.
The representative of the government that Thoreau meets once a year is the tax collector. Thoreau encounters him as part of his protest against the Mexican-American War and slavery, refusing to pay taxes to a government that supports these injustices.
this is from Henry David Thoreau's "Resistance to Government" essay, which he compares the people of america, to a wooden gun. if one side tried to fire on another side of the people, the country would surely split.
Thoreau, like many in modern times, was convinced that government was unresponsive and broken. However, he posited that government is necessary and, rather than no government, what was needed was better government.
That a government is best when it does not interfere with the lives of individuals
Thoreau was against the Mexican War (he didn't want further expansion of slave states) so he is bitter towards the government. Even if it's not the matter of the Mexican War, Thoreau doesn't like the government, like other Trensendentalists, he doesn't like powerful government controlling peope's lives.
In this metaphor, Thoreau is suggesting that the American government lacks the vitality and effectiveness of a single strong individual. He compares it to a wooden gun that cannot accomplish much on its own, implying that true power and change come from the actions and will of the people themselves.
To compare injustice to something concrete -apex
Thoreau believed that government should be limited and that individuals have a duty to resist unjust laws. He advocated for civil disobedience as a means to challenge government authority when it violates moral principles. Thoreau valued individual conscience and autonomy over submission to a government that goes against personal beliefs.
The role the government should play in people's lives
Thoreau might argue that government should be limited and only involved in matters that protect individual liberties. He might criticize the overreach of government control and advocate for a more decentralized governing system. Thoreau would likely emphasize the importance of personal responsibility and self-reliance over reliance on government intervention.
That Government Is Best Which Governs Least.