During a discussion about health care for everyone a friend of mine challenged me with the question, "What has the government ever done right?"
Here's my response:
The military does a good job of protecting us from foreign invaders. In fact, this country has never been attacked by a foreign army.
That's our government.
The court system is in place so a civil society can be governed by the rule of law, instead of chaos.
That's our government.
You can get a good education from elementary school all the way to a terminal degree at state institutions. Using government student loans if you have to.
That's our government.
The Interstate highway system in the United States is amazing.
That's our government.
When you mail a letter someone will take it all the way across the country for less than half a dollar. What a deal!
That's our government.
When you get old, you will not have to die in poverty or be burdened by overwhelming medical bills because of Social Security and Medicare.
That's our government.
If you lose your job there is Unemployment Compensation to assist you until you find a new one.
That's our government.
When you go to a restaurant the facility and the food have been inspected so you don't get sick.
That's our government.
When you flush the toilet or take out the trash you don't have to think about where it ends up.
That's our government.
The car you drive has many safety features to keep you from dying in a crash.
That's our government.
Lots of land has been set aside in state and national parks for your enjoyment.
That's our government.
If someone breaks into you house and you call 911. The police will try to stop them.
That's our government.
The space program has landed a man on the moon, created the Hubble telescope, launched satellites, the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.
That's our government, and this is only a partial list.
The government is really just us doing things together that we can't do on our own.
It does not do everything right and I don't like taxes any more than anyone else, but life would be a lot different without it.
3 comments:
"You can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they’ve tried everything else."
What do you think about this quote from Winston Churchill? I honestly don't know what he was referring to at the time, but I am thinking about health care in the US.
Your points about what are government has done are very well made.
I love this Professor Foster. I will answer the question, What does our government do? when asked in the future, quoting your writing as an answer.
Thank you for sharing and thank you for your wonderful teaching in Journalism. It has been a wonderful learning experience. I will take the many lessons learned and your wonderful texts with me into the future. Michele Rutter
Wow! This is amazing! I will refer to this website and your response in the future if this question ever comes up in any of my conversations. I am enjoying your class so far! :)
Naomi Wenger
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