| So we have gone from "government is not the | | | | do. You know, maybe we should ask those who |
| solution to our problem; government is the | | | | love to talk about the commandments of the |
| problem", to "we have come to take back our | | | | Bible so much if this is what they really believe. |
| government." By the way those who love to | | | | The truth is as a society matures, there is bound |
| quote President Reagan on the former, please at | | | | to be a set of collective wisdom that is supposed |
| least give the context. | | | | to prevent it from repeating mistakes or |
| He clearly prefaced his comments by laying out | | | | completely wrecking itself. We codify this wisdom |
| the problems that the US faced at the time. That | | | | in our laws and regulations and mandate a system |
| is why the words "in this present crisis" cannot be | | | | to maintain and apply them. |
| just ignored as those on the left and on the right | | | | If you listen to the government bashing you |
| have done over and over again in order to serve | | | | would think that we can just bypass all of this and |
| their particular political agenda. Taken in full | | | | turn to the market to control our behavior and |
| context, President Reagan was right. In fact what | | | | interaction with each other. Sure that will work, |
| he probably should have said was, "in this present | | | | but in the end we would have destroyed |
| crisis government was never meant to be the | | | | ourselves. |
| solution." That would have been the more | | | | The framers knew what they were talking about |
| responsible thing to do. But so be it. | | | | - government of the people, by the people and |
| What peeves me, is the current trend to bash | | | | for the people. Interject in there the word values |
| government as not only an unnecessary evil but | | | | and you will get the complete picture. So no, I do |
| as the problem, no matter what. So pray tell me | | | | not want a massive bureaucracy, I want massive |
| if that is the case why do you come to take | | | | thinking from my leaders and I want leadership |
| back your government? Confusion comes to | | | | that is not afraid to tackle big problems such as a |
| mind. | | | | screwed-up economy, energy, immigration, health |
| Rather than doing the responsible thing and try to | | | | care, trade policy, education. That is the type of |
| think of how we want our government to serve | | | | big government I want, because who else are we |
| us, it is much easier to label it as the problem. | | | | going to have lead on these issues? The private |
| Maybe it is the word - government that drives | | | | sector? |
| people crazy, because it implies control, and no | | | | Sure there is always a role for the private sector. |
| one likes to be controlled. But the truth of the | | | | Always. But know this, their motivations may not |
| matter is if we are going to function as a society | | | | fully represent the concerns driving these issues. |
| that have some common values then we are | | | | And there is nothing wrong with that. Let them |
| going to have to find a system through which | | | | do what they do best. That is why national |
| these values gel into progress for all or the | | | | political leadership must do what it is supposed to |
| majority. And that system is government as we | | | | do best - provide national leadership, and the truth |
| know it. | | | | is those elected should be among the most |
| The problem is not that we should be doing this. | | | | important of our leaders given the power they |
| The problem is that we have failed to give much | | | | are vested with. Sadly what we now have are |
| thought to how this thing should look and function. | | | | leaders at the political party level but not |
| Welded to the "government is the problem" belief | | | | necessarily at the national level. And there is our |
| on the one hand and the "government as | | | | problem, useless or self-serving gridlock that has |
| caretaker" on the other, we have found it | | | | little or nothing to do with national interest. |
| politically infeasible to tear ourselves from these | | | | The problem is not big government. That we can |
| small-minded concepts. | | | | deal with in a democracy. The problem is small |
| It is small-minded to believe and perpetrate the | | | | mindedness that will never be able to figure out |
| thought that there is no problem in our society | | | | how to make the system called government |
| that government is best suited to tackle. And it is | | | | work best for us. And quite frankly, in a |
| irresponsible to perpetrate the idea that we should | | | | democracy that is more of a problem than any |
| just be left alone to do what the hell we want to | | | | government is going to be. |