What do you want from government?
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Exactly what we want from our government -- actually, let's go plural, since we all pay taxes to our state and local governments as well as to Uncle Sam -- is a continual, and frustrating, question. Yet we still long for answers.
So just in case you're having too much fun this weekend and wanted to ponder larger, more serious, issues for a while, I thought I'd ask.
Last summer, the Center for American Progress conducted a person-on-the-street poll and produced the Public Opinion Paradox video.
"There's a sort of paradox to America's public opinion on government," said Ruy Teixeira, a Senior Fellow at both The Century Foundation and American Progress, last July.
"On the one hand, they see a lot of things that need to be dealt with, a lot of problems that need to be solved, and they think government should be doing more to solve these problems," Teixeira said. "But, they look at the way government functions and they see government as being inefficient, unresponsive, unaccountable."
The bottom line?
We want government to do its job, which is essentially different from jobs performed by private business (that's why we have both).
But we like using the measurement markers of business; that is, we want government programs to be judged by results so that ineffective programs can be fixed or eliminated.
And so the good government quest continues.
Related posts:
- Democrats support tax fraud and waste;
Republicans hate middle-class workers - Is it time for tax reform?
- Deficit cutting proposals are not popular
- Debt limit, tax reform and me on 'net TV
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I want government to set rules to allow a level playing field and leave well alone. Don't be tempted to interfere, since the interference normally has unintended consequences.
Secondly, their role is to pick up the great number of things that we can not do for ourselves. Things like defense, and education.
And most of all be honest with us. Dont be tempted in to pretending that government can solve all the problems in the world. It can't and to pretend otherwise is false.
Posted by: John from etoyszone trampolines | Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 07:22 AM