There's a little essay that's been floating around the internet and Facebook since at least 2009 that details many supposedly good ways gov't is involved in a person's day. Here it is (my response is below):
"This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US Department of Energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I watched this while eating breakfast of US Department of Agriculture inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the Food and Drug Administration.
At the appropriate time as regulated by the US Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the US Naval Observatory. I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile and set out to work on the roads built by the local, state, and federal departments of transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve bank. On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to send via the US Postal Service and drop the kids off at the public school.
After work, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to a house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and fire marshal's inspection, and which has not been plundered of all it's valuables thanks to the local police department.
I then log on to the internet which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration and post on freerepublic.com and Fox News forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can't do anything right."
My thoughts:
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety [security], deserve neither liberty nor safety [security]." - Benjamin Franklin
So a monopoly is good when it's the government, but bad when it's private? I see...
Is there ANYTHING the gov't SHOULDN'T do?? I'd love to hear an answer from supporters of this essay, and it'd be interesting to ask Obama this question in a debate. I bet he wouldn't be able to come up with anything, because they're already doing almost everything!
I actually found the essay very depressing. Going through a day dominated by gov't involvement is just not the way it was supposed to be.
It's a wonder our Founders were able to explore and found the best country in the history of the world, and draft a Constitution, and fight a war -- all *without* all of that "wonderful & necessary" government-provided stuff! How in the heck did they do it??
No, of course this article makes the fallacious assumption that what the gov't does, the private sector (free people) wouldn't do better. Obviously we know that's ridiculous given the results of almost every gov't program ever (yes, including public education).
But even IF the gov't does something "better" doesn't mean it should!
The only way fed gov't does anything is to TAKE BY THREAT OF FORCE from someone else. We're now at a point where HALF OF AMERICANS DON'T PAY ANY FED TAXES and the top taxpayers have over HALF THEIR INCOME TAXED. The top 5% of taxpayers PAY 55% OF ALL TAXES IN THIS COUNTRY! Think about that. When you're not entitled to the fruits of your labor, what do you really have?? Private property is a fundamental founding principle. Is it OK to basically enslave some for the benefit of others?
The gov't was never intended to take/redistribute wealth or provide/control goods & services. It should be there to protect its citizens and their rights, period.
I guess the divide between the two sides today boils down to this: one side trusts individuals and wants the gov't do as little as possible for them so they can freely pursue life, liberty & happiness. The other side trusts the gov't more than individuals and wants the gov't to do as much as possible for them and their neighbors. That's really the essence. Personally, I side on freedom. I side on not trusting gov't, just as our Founders.
The fact that we depend on government for literally almost everything is wrong, inefficient, oppressive to millions, and not at all what our Founders had in mind.
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." - Thomas Jefferson
"I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious." -Thomas Jefferson
"The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale." -Thomas Jefferson
"If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare... they may appoint teachers in every state... The powers of Congress would subvert the very foundation, the very nature of the limited government established by the people of America." - James Madison
"Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" -Patrick Henry
There are more good comments here.
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