Government
Worry about the future is not a new phenomenon, because democracy in a nation of more than three hundred million people is complicated. We’ve been fighting over the proper size and role of government and the meaning of individual freedom and equality since 1886.
As our economy shifted emphasis from agriculture to industry to information and technology, we’ve argued at every turn over the best way to ensure that all of our citizens have an opportunity to succeed.
American democracy has thrived because we’ve recognized the need for a government that can still help us adapt to a changing world. We recognize that government doesn't have all the answers, and we’ve fiercely defended our individual freedom.
Nevertheless, there are some things we can only do as one nation, in order to keep pace with the times. Lincoln began the first intercontinental railroad. Teddy Roosevelt used the power of government to break up monopolies. Dwight Eisenhower launched the massive government undertaking known as the Interstate Highway System.
Historically, those who've opposed such efforts argued that government intervention is inefficient, restricts individual freedom and dampens individual initiative. Indeed, for many years, we had a welfare system that sometimes discouraged people from taking responsibility for their own upward mobility. However, those that claim government is inherently bad ignore the fact, that in a democracy, government is us. We hold in our hands the power to choose our leaders, change our laws, and shape our own destiny.
Government is the police officers who protects us and our military, who defends us abroad. Government is the roads that we drive on and the speed limits that keep us safe. Government also ensures that mines adhere to safety standards and that oil spills are cleaned up by the companies that caused them.
The debate between more government and less government doesn't really fit the times in which we live. Too much government can stifle competition, deprive us of choice, and burden us with debt, but we've also seen the dangers of too little government, when a lack of accountability on Wall Street nearly led to the collapse of our entire economy.
As our economy shifted emphasis from agriculture to industry to information and technology, we’ve argued at every turn over the best way to ensure that all of our citizens have an opportunity to succeed.
American democracy has thrived because we’ve recognized the need for a government that can still help us adapt to a changing world. We recognize that government doesn't have all the answers, and we’ve fiercely defended our individual freedom.
Nevertheless, there are some things we can only do as one nation, in order to keep pace with the times. Lincoln began the first intercontinental railroad. Teddy Roosevelt used the power of government to break up monopolies. Dwight Eisenhower launched the massive government undertaking known as the Interstate Highway System.
Historically, those who've opposed such efforts argued that government intervention is inefficient, restricts individual freedom and dampens individual initiative. Indeed, for many years, we had a welfare system that sometimes discouraged people from taking responsibility for their own upward mobility. However, those that claim government is inherently bad ignore the fact, that in a democracy, government is us. We hold in our hands the power to choose our leaders, change our laws, and shape our own destiny.
Government is the police officers who protects us and our military, who defends us abroad. Government is the roads that we drive on and the speed limits that keep us safe. Government also ensures that mines adhere to safety standards and that oil spills are cleaned up by the companies that caused them.
The debate between more government and less government doesn't really fit the times in which we live. Too much government can stifle competition, deprive us of choice, and burden us with debt, but we've also seen the dangers of too little government, when a lack of accountability on Wall Street nearly led to the collapse of our entire economy.
posted by Jim O'Leary | 5:26 AM
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