Rep. Chuck Edwards' late-night surrender of his re-election bid after an ethics panel recommended censure for mistreating young female staffers shows that even entrenched incumbents cannot escape the consequences of abusing their authority. Such conduct erodes public trust and hands ammunition to those eager to expand bureaucratic oversight of every workplace. When members of Congress treat their offices as personal fiefdoms, they invite the very regulatory overreach conservatives have long opposed. The Constitution presumes a citizenry and its representatives capable of self-government, a point the Founders repeatedly tied to personal virtue rather than endless rules. Limited government collapses when those holding power demonstrate they cannot restrain their own impulses, forcing either internal correction or external controls that shrink individual liberty. Edwards' exit reinforces that federalism works best when states replace flawed officeholders with men and women who understand authority as a trust, not a license. Conservatives cannot defend the institution while excusing the character that undermines it.