It's not all bad

I do believe I am begining to be a minority in this country. Considering the news, the comments after the news, the word on the street - I might be turning into an endangered species. Here's the thing: I actually believe that a government is not inherently evil.  There is actually a human being in this country that doesn't run away in terror at the word "government." What a shock.

Now I'm not saying that a government is always good and there aren't problems with governments. Of course there are. It's made of of people and there will always be bad people. Power hungry, greedy, people. People who manipulate data, or hurt certain members of the population, or give themselves raises when someone of use are living on less than what we made 4 years ago - in the same job. There are bad people in government. But there are also bad people in private corporations, or do you think that they are immune to corruption?

I don't think a few rotten apples make the whole idea of a government evil. Especially since we have that weird thing called the freedom of information act and all of the government's transactions and issues are laid out on the table for the world to see. There are fanatics that will try to find any abuse by the government and bring them to light. Oddly, no such rules exist for private business. Oddly, when one business loses 5.8 BILLION dollars, almost no one seems to bat an eye, and there are still people arguing against regulations despite such loses.

Not that private business are all bad either, but I personally like that there is an organization, making decisions on our behalf, and not trying to figure out how to make a profit in the transaction.  I know a lot of people in government are there because they want to help people and do the right thing by society. That's why I'm there.  Considering my statistics and computer skills, I could easily find a place that paid me more. But I feel good doing what I do, and I'm not after people's money.

One of the problems with government is that it needs to strike and uneasy and difficult balance and it's super easy go to far in one direction or the other. So easy, in fact, that it happens all the time. The best we can hope for is that we don't go to the extremes of the two possibilities.  Our representatives have to determine if they follow their constituent's wishes, or if they need to use their own best judgment.

There are  good reasons to advocate the use of both methods. First of all, as a country the citizens should have a say in how things are run and what money is spent on. This is where we live, work, and play and we elect our government. Our representatives should hear our voices and follow our lead.  On the other hand, as once person told me, the epitome of a democracy is a lynch mob - everyone agrees with the plan save one. There has to be a time when the government doesn't follow the caprices of the populace.

The people we elect have access to experts, witnesses, intelligence, and all sorts of information we will never know. Not necessarily because there is information only the government knows, but because the representative can hire a team and talk to top notch people with the best most accurate information. Something that we as individuals rarely get a chance to do. With all that information, one can see why people in our government might know more that we do, and can make better, informed decisions that go against our wished. Sometimes that is the right thing to do. Then of course, sometimes that path can lead us down to that whole dictatorship thing. Not good.

Is the government going to screw up? yep. But do I believe that a government can be more good than bad, yep.

Let's think of some the good things that the government does, which might be hard. See, when a government works well, you don't notice it. Citizens only seem to care when the government stops working the way it is supposed to.

So it provides a free (for now) education for grades 1-12 (and used to have an excellent public university system, to bad that's gone), paves the roads and puts up street lamps. Makes sure that the water out of the tap is safe to drink (It may not always taste great, but that doesn't mean it's safe). Sets standards that insures my house won't fall in a earthquake. Provides and maintains parks and pools and national forests (okay, that's the feds). Even maintains trails in the forests, with signs, so I don't get lost.  Phew, I could go on and on, but let's put that off for another day.