Government is Not the Problem!

The Tea Party hates government.  They believe the government suffers from overreach, corruption and ineptitude.  They warn that the government is creating an entitled, lazy society of takers that are ripping us off!  And, the best way to deal with government is to destroy it.  Really?  I’m sick of the “government is the problem” philosophy!  During this unnecessary and painful shutdown, perhaps it is a good time to concentrate on just a teeny-tiny glimpse at what our government does well and how it benefits all:

We are protected by the greatest military on earth

Medicaid, Social Security and Medicare protect the poor and elderly

The FAA and air flight control provides the safest modern mode of travel

The CDC and the FDA protect our health and food supply

Head Start and the School hot lunch program protect vulnerable children

Police/Firefighters/911 – we are all dependent upon our first responders

Public libraries

Uniform building codes

NASA and the many resulting breakthrough inventions

The Interstate Highway system

SCHIP healthcare for vulnerable children

Operate and maintain our incredible park system

FBI / CIA – may not get it right all of the time, but thank goodness we’ve got them

National Weather Service

United States Postal Service

Public Schools and dedicated teachers

Public water works and sanitation

Federal Student Loans

Clean Water and Clean Air programs

Protects civil rights

FDIC protects and insures our money

GI Bill has given so many who have served a boost to success

FHA mortgages and loans

Consumer protection

Workplace safety

Funding basic science research

Labor department regulations mandate a 40-hour workweek

ARPANET and NSFNET developed the infrastructure for the internet

Army Corps of Engineers

Satellite communication

Environmental clean up and flood control

And there is SO MUCH MORE including items we don’t normally associate with government like the peace-of-mind provided by sidewalks, street signs and traffic signals where our children can safely walk to school.  The benefits derived from government programs frequently take the form not of the presence of something, but of the absence of something. Think of it this way: much of the job of government in our lives is to ensure that bad things don’t happen to us.  So many on the right have been sold a false bag of goods!  They consistently vote against their own self-interests.  And, it’s their own state populations are those most dependent upon government services by a significant margin.  In my humble opinion, we have a solemn obligation as citizens to be involved – to make our government better, more efficient, and more accessible.  You can’t do that by tearing it down!