Big Government, Big Money, Bad Government.
Issue:
The phrase "big government" gets tossed around these days as though we all know not only what in means but that it is inherently bad. Its use is most often employed by those attempting to discredit or stop various government programs, laws and regulations.
Deception:
How often have you heard it: government is worse when it is big, better when it is small; and since the United States government is too big it stands in the way of progress and the private pursuits of its citizens and is too costly. This is deception.
Reality:
"Big government" is a meaningless concept but plays an outsized role in public discourse as a way to cloud and inhibit debate. While it has been used to indict government programs ranging from Social Security and Medicare to public education, public health care and public stewardship of the environment, other programs have been left conspicuously untouched by criticism of "big government" - including our intervention in foreign lands, the military, the National Security Administration, corporate tax breaks and subsidies to private businesses, spying on our private lives or our government's complicity in the ongoing redistribution of the nation's wealth into the hands of a relative few.
We live as a community of people, dependent upon one another for survival, growth and the pursuit of happiness. This is called "civilization" and requires a form of self-government to succeed. Government is essential to our lives for those of us who choose community over singular independence. It is also the key market regulator that enables business to function and prosper in a stable society. Government is the solution to chaos so long as it is truly representative of, and accountable to, the community it serves - that is, as long as it works for everyone.
In the United States today government is increasingly working for the few who need its service the least. That problem is not due to "big government" but "big money". And sometimes it works for few of us, as evidenced by its wholesale spying into our private live, its emphasis on protecting corporate interests over the interests of average citizens and its current insistence on waging outrageously expensive and unnecessary foreign invasions and interventions. That is not "big government" but government run amok.
Traveling a public byway makes it difficult to deny that government is an asset and necessity in our lives. It is not the fact of "government", or its size, that should be open to criticism but how it is conducted. Nothing is gained by attributing problems to "big government" except for those who use it to curry the favor of voters - because the real problems are corruption, secrecy, non-compromise and non-cooperation in the conduct of government, such as the sort that has brought constructive action in the United States Congress to a virtual standstill. Add to this the toxic effects of rampant political bribery by corporations and other wealthy interests through their payment of vast sums of money to their morally bankrupt public relations firms, lawyers and lobbyists - and to our representatives - it becomes hard to see hope for the 99% of Americans that create the majority of the nation's wealth but receive only a fraction of its benefits.
Today there are plenty of examples of how government works against the interests of its people - but again, this is not a matter of the government's size but how it operates. Consider these points:
Income Inequality:
U.S. government policies are largely responsible for the ongoing redistribution of the nation's wealth into the hands of a few. The fault for this lies largely with the manipulation of the U.S. tax code beyond comprehension by Congress members handing out favors to big financial contributors - such as the offshore tax breaks that allow the nation's wealthiest corporation, Apple computer, to avoid paying U.S. (or even foreign) taxes on billions of its earnings. It lies as well with Congress and the Executive Branch and their coterie of banking executives in their manipulation of banking laws to favor the "too big to fail" banking industry and its investors at the expense of the public. This type of corruption is present, however, in the smallest towns as well as in the federal government and speaks not to the size of government but to its management and control - or lack thereof - by the public.
Domestic Spying on Citizens:
It takes fewer federal employees to spy on all U.S. citizens today than it would have required back in the dark days of Edgar J. Hoover's FBI, when effective spying was only possible on a small fraction of the population yet raised far greater public opposition. This is due, of course, to the massive computing power now in the hands of government agencies - but it is also due to the unquestioning cooperation of U.S. corporations, such as the computer and telecommunications industries, which have evinced little interest in challenging government dictates because they too benefit from the same spying. It is further due to a complacent public that has allowed itself to remain almost wholly ignorant of the workings of the nation's intelligence community both at home and abroad and who willfully accept such massive intrusion into their private lives as a trade-off for minor conveniences it enables in their own lives and the supposed but dubious safety it offers them from terrorist attacks or other dangers, real or imagined.
"Citizens United":
The Supreme Court ruling in the case Citizens United vs. Federal Communications Commission opened the door for unfettered use of private and anonymous funding of political campaigns. The result is an increased assault on democracy by special interests. Who's fault is that? It's not big government, it's an electorate that votes into office politicians of both parties who stand not for democracy and fair government but money and special interests - and who in turn appoint judges who are steadily eroding the democratic and constitutional rights of U.S. citizens.
Resolution:
Most of us want laws and services that protect our homes from theft, fire and lack of public infrastructure. Yet many resent the protection of our community, environment and lives by laws directed at the transgressions of businesses. Why is that? Because too often such attempts to regulate business are derided as "government interference" or "big government" by the politicians who are more accountable to big money than to their constituents. And too often the constituents are unduly influenced by these politicians and the media who are controlled by corporate money and serve as their mouthpiece. Regulation is nothing more than government exercising the powers allowed to it by the constitution, Congress and voters. We may disagree with specific regulations, particularly when they hit us where we live, but this is not an issue of "big government", it is an issue of bad administration in government and bad legislation enacted by bad politicians elected by big money and uninformed voters.
Attacking "government" debases the entire concept of civilization. Government establishes laws to ensure fairness in the contracts that enables capitalism to flourish, provides common transportation links to ensure the free movement of people and goods and maintains a system of laws and justice to ensure a peaceful and productive society. It establishes defenses against attack by criminals and other nations. It protects our food from contamination, funds health research and ensures that we all have access to essentials such as clean water regardless of our life circumstances. Big government fosters the private enterprise and individual freedom that allows our society to flourish. Many of its actions are derided as socialistic but that is deception. Understanding the influences that shape and control government is more productive in ensuring that it works for all.
Related Essay: Socialism
Can government, big or otherwise, work for us? Not for all of us all the time. But that is a problem of how we manage government - and that is negatively affected by the forces of an uninformed electorate and the financially powerful corporate and private sectors that bring undue influence to bear upon the governing class at the expense of workers, the self-employed, children, the retired and the infirm. Government is negatively influenced by an electorate which remains largely unaware of its government's operation and control by special interests and which even lacks a basic understanding of its own constitutional rights.
Issues and problems within our community require cooperative efforts for resolution. This is government. A good lesson in civics can go a long way to nurturing the understanding how government is structured and works, that government is essential to civilization, and that government must work to enhance our lives. Anytime you hear criticism of "big government", "government interference" or "government handout" look deeper to discover the real issue, the real problem.
The phrase "big government" gets tossed around these days as though we all know not only what in means but that it is inherently bad. Its use is most often employed by those attempting to discredit or stop various government programs, laws and regulations.
Deception:
How often have you heard it: government is worse when it is big, better when it is small; and since the United States government is too big it stands in the way of progress and the private pursuits of its citizens and is too costly. This is deception.
Reality:
"Big government" is a meaningless concept but plays an outsized role in public discourse as a way to cloud and inhibit debate. While it has been used to indict government programs ranging from Social Security and Medicare to public education, public health care and public stewardship of the environment, other programs have been left conspicuously untouched by criticism of "big government" - including our intervention in foreign lands, the military, the National Security Administration, corporate tax breaks and subsidies to private businesses, spying on our private lives or our government's complicity in the ongoing redistribution of the nation's wealth into the hands of a relative few.
We live as a community of people, dependent upon one another for survival, growth and the pursuit of happiness. This is called "civilization" and requires a form of self-government to succeed. Government is essential to our lives for those of us who choose community over singular independence. It is also the key market regulator that enables business to function and prosper in a stable society. Government is the solution to chaos so long as it is truly representative of, and accountable to, the community it serves - that is, as long as it works for everyone.
In the United States today government is increasingly working for the few who need its service the least. That problem is not due to "big government" but "big money". And sometimes it works for few of us, as evidenced by its wholesale spying into our private live, its emphasis on protecting corporate interests over the interests of average citizens and its current insistence on waging outrageously expensive and unnecessary foreign invasions and interventions. That is not "big government" but government run amok.
Traveling a public byway makes it difficult to deny that government is an asset and necessity in our lives. It is not the fact of "government", or its size, that should be open to criticism but how it is conducted. Nothing is gained by attributing problems to "big government" except for those who use it to curry the favor of voters - because the real problems are corruption, secrecy, non-compromise and non-cooperation in the conduct of government, such as the sort that has brought constructive action in the United States Congress to a virtual standstill. Add to this the toxic effects of rampant political bribery by corporations and other wealthy interests through their payment of vast sums of money to their morally bankrupt public relations firms, lawyers and lobbyists - and to our representatives - it becomes hard to see hope for the 99% of Americans that create the majority of the nation's wealth but receive only a fraction of its benefits.
Today there are plenty of examples of how government works against the interests of its people - but again, this is not a matter of the government's size but how it operates. Consider these points:
Income Inequality:
U.S. government policies are largely responsible for the ongoing redistribution of the nation's wealth into the hands of a few. The fault for this lies largely with the manipulation of the U.S. tax code beyond comprehension by Congress members handing out favors to big financial contributors - such as the offshore tax breaks that allow the nation's wealthiest corporation, Apple computer, to avoid paying U.S. (or even foreign) taxes on billions of its earnings. It lies as well with Congress and the Executive Branch and their coterie of banking executives in their manipulation of banking laws to favor the "too big to fail" banking industry and its investors at the expense of the public. This type of corruption is present, however, in the smallest towns as well as in the federal government and speaks not to the size of government but to its management and control - or lack thereof - by the public.
Domestic Spying on Citizens:
It takes fewer federal employees to spy on all U.S. citizens today than it would have required back in the dark days of Edgar J. Hoover's FBI, when effective spying was only possible on a small fraction of the population yet raised far greater public opposition. This is due, of course, to the massive computing power now in the hands of government agencies - but it is also due to the unquestioning cooperation of U.S. corporations, such as the computer and telecommunications industries, which have evinced little interest in challenging government dictates because they too benefit from the same spying. It is further due to a complacent public that has allowed itself to remain almost wholly ignorant of the workings of the nation's intelligence community both at home and abroad and who willfully accept such massive intrusion into their private lives as a trade-off for minor conveniences it enables in their own lives and the supposed but dubious safety it offers them from terrorist attacks or other dangers, real or imagined.
"Citizens United":
The Supreme Court ruling in the case Citizens United vs. Federal Communications Commission opened the door for unfettered use of private and anonymous funding of political campaigns. The result is an increased assault on democracy by special interests. Who's fault is that? It's not big government, it's an electorate that votes into office politicians of both parties who stand not for democracy and fair government but money and special interests - and who in turn appoint judges who are steadily eroding the democratic and constitutional rights of U.S. citizens.
Resolution:
Most of us want laws and services that protect our homes from theft, fire and lack of public infrastructure. Yet many resent the protection of our community, environment and lives by laws directed at the transgressions of businesses. Why is that? Because too often such attempts to regulate business are derided as "government interference" or "big government" by the politicians who are more accountable to big money than to their constituents. And too often the constituents are unduly influenced by these politicians and the media who are controlled by corporate money and serve as their mouthpiece. Regulation is nothing more than government exercising the powers allowed to it by the constitution, Congress and voters. We may disagree with specific regulations, particularly when they hit us where we live, but this is not an issue of "big government", it is an issue of bad administration in government and bad legislation enacted by bad politicians elected by big money and uninformed voters.
Attacking "government" debases the entire concept of civilization. Government establishes laws to ensure fairness in the contracts that enables capitalism to flourish, provides common transportation links to ensure the free movement of people and goods and maintains a system of laws and justice to ensure a peaceful and productive society. It establishes defenses against attack by criminals and other nations. It protects our food from contamination, funds health research and ensures that we all have access to essentials such as clean water regardless of our life circumstances. Big government fosters the private enterprise and individual freedom that allows our society to flourish. Many of its actions are derided as socialistic but that is deception. Understanding the influences that shape and control government is more productive in ensuring that it works for all.
Related Essay: Socialism
Can government, big or otherwise, work for us? Not for all of us all the time. But that is a problem of how we manage government - and that is negatively affected by the forces of an uninformed electorate and the financially powerful corporate and private sectors that bring undue influence to bear upon the governing class at the expense of workers, the self-employed, children, the retired and the infirm. Government is negatively influenced by an electorate which remains largely unaware of its government's operation and control by special interests and which even lacks a basic understanding of its own constitutional rights.
Issues and problems within our community require cooperative efforts for resolution. This is government. A good lesson in civics can go a long way to nurturing the understanding how government is structured and works, that government is essential to civilization, and that government must work to enhance our lives. Anytime you hear criticism of "big government", "government interference" or "government handout" look deeper to discover the real issue, the real problem.