Can Government Really Be Good?
By Brother Rogers
In the current health care debate, many critics of reform have said some variation of “Government can’t do anything right, much less health care.” There is a widespread and genuine belief that everything government does is wasteful, ineffective, corrupt and oppressive. Surveys show that over half of Americans believe that “government programs have not really helped me and my family.”
With all due respect, the notion that government is always bad is dead wrong. Government, despite its flaws, plays an indispensable role in promoting the public good. Government programs (hold onto your hat) are actually improving the lives of all Americans in many ways.
Government in America certainly has its problems: wasteful spending, unnecessary regulations, powerful special interests and demagogues as politicians. Despite these drawbacks, we Americans enjoy enormous benefits from a vast array of public sector programs created by Democrats and Republicans. We may hate to admit it, but government has a positive effect on our everyday lives.
How is government good for us? Let’s take a day in the life of the average American, call him Joe. A clock radio wakes up Joe. He can listen to his favorite station only because the Federal Communications Commission ensures that radio stations do not overlap and that cell phones, satellite television and wireless computers do not interfere with the stations’ signals.
Joe makes coffee and automatically assumes the water is safe to drink. It is safe, but only because the city water department monitors it closely to protect public health. Joe flushes his toilet without a second thought. But the local government transports, treats and disposes of this waste in an environmentally responsible manner.
Joe has eggs for breakfast, but doesn’t get sick from salmonella poisoning. Why? Because the Department of Agriculture has safety regulations for egg producers. Joe packs a healthy lunch with low salt and fat, which he can tell by reading the label on his food. Why? Because the government requires food packaging to have a label that tells Joe about the nutritional information.
Joe takes his medicine every morning, taking for granted that it is safe and effective. Good thing for Joe that the Food and Drug Administration tested his medicine before he could buy it.
Joe checks the weather forecast to know what to wear. He gives little thought to a government agency called the National Weather Service, which everyday takes in 190,000 weather observations from surface stations, 2,700 from ships, 115,000 from aircraft, 18,000 for buoys, 250,000 from balloons and 140 million from satellites.
Joe owns his own home, with help from Uncle Sam. That help is called a mortgage interest tax deduction, and it is one of the larger benefit programs run by the federal government, amounting to over $60 billion dollars a year. This government benefit has enabled millions of people to buy their first home or to move up to a larger one.
I haven’t even mentioned firemen, policemen and teachers. From the Postal Service to the Pentagon, we Americans benefit from government services everyday. From the safety of baby food and children’s toys to Medicare and Social Security, citizens of all ages are helped by nameless public servants who are dedicated to improving the lives of their fellow Americans.
Government is far from perfect, and it always has problems that need fixing. Debate on the size and role of government is helpful and welcome. But the idea that government is always harmful and inherently ineffective is simply not true. Our founding fathers and generations of Americans before us have bequeathed us the greatest government on earth. Those who say this government can’t do anything right are just plain wrong.
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works for the Stennis Center for Public Service.
In the current health care debate, many critics of reform have said some variation of “Government can’t do anything right, much less health care.” There is a widespread and genuine belief that everything government does is wasteful, ineffective, corrupt and oppressive. Surveys show that over half of Americans believe that “government programs have not really helped me and my family.”
With all due respect, the notion that government is always bad is dead wrong. Government, despite its flaws, plays an indispensable role in promoting the public good. Government programs (hold onto your hat) are actually improving the lives of all Americans in many ways.
Government in America certainly has its problems: wasteful spending, unnecessary regulations, powerful special interests and demagogues as politicians. Despite these drawbacks, we Americans enjoy enormous benefits from a vast array of public sector programs created by Democrats and Republicans. We may hate to admit it, but government has a positive effect on our everyday lives.
How is government good for us? Let’s take a day in the life of the average American, call him Joe. A clock radio wakes up Joe. He can listen to his favorite station only because the Federal Communications Commission ensures that radio stations do not overlap and that cell phones, satellite television and wireless computers do not interfere with the stations’ signals.
Joe makes coffee and automatically assumes the water is safe to drink. It is safe, but only because the city water department monitors it closely to protect public health. Joe flushes his toilet without a second thought. But the local government transports, treats and disposes of this waste in an environmentally responsible manner.
Joe has eggs for breakfast, but doesn’t get sick from salmonella poisoning. Why? Because the Department of Agriculture has safety regulations for egg producers. Joe packs a healthy lunch with low salt and fat, which he can tell by reading the label on his food. Why? Because the government requires food packaging to have a label that tells Joe about the nutritional information.
Joe takes his medicine every morning, taking for granted that it is safe and effective. Good thing for Joe that the Food and Drug Administration tested his medicine before he could buy it.
Joe checks the weather forecast to know what to wear. He gives little thought to a government agency called the National Weather Service, which everyday takes in 190,000 weather observations from surface stations, 2,700 from ships, 115,000 from aircraft, 18,000 for buoys, 250,000 from balloons and 140 million from satellites.
Joe owns his own home, with help from Uncle Sam. That help is called a mortgage interest tax deduction, and it is one of the larger benefit programs run by the federal government, amounting to over $60 billion dollars a year. This government benefit has enabled millions of people to buy their first home or to move up to a larger one.
I haven’t even mentioned firemen, policemen and teachers. From the Postal Service to the Pentagon, we Americans benefit from government services everyday. From the safety of baby food and children’s toys to Medicare and Social Security, citizens of all ages are helped by nameless public servants who are dedicated to improving the lives of their fellow Americans.
Government is far from perfect, and it always has problems that need fixing. Debate on the size and role of government is helpful and welcome. But the idea that government is always harmful and inherently ineffective is simply not true. Our founding fathers and generations of Americans before us have bequeathed us the greatest government on earth. Those who say this government can’t do anything right are just plain wrong.
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works for the Stennis Center for Public Service.