When I talk of reducing the government, I mean cutting the number of handout programs we have, cutting taxes, cutting buearocracies, streamlining policies and regulations and the tax code.
Yes, I know. I know what you mean, and I do not think that is the way to go.
The government has certain roles to fill.
1. Educator. Public schools are a necessity. The future of any nation depends largely - perhaps even primarily on the quality of these.
2. Protector. Firefighters. Police. Even the army are - and must remain in the hands of the government.
3. Deliverer. Or rather, delivery boy. I speak of basic infrastructure. Roads, highways, airports, railroads... The bloodvessels of any nation.
Now, you can cut taxes, but these (and more) things are still going to cost a lot of money. You can only try to make them so effective. Only cut their budgets so much before quality cringes and gives way. First thing which will have to be reduced is equipment availability, quality and salaries. Plus of course the amount of firefighters, teachers, police officers etc. your nation has available.
Like most right wingers it seems you have a particularly strong affection for 'cutting'. I am all for efficiency mind you. But I do not think cutting everything everywhere is always the solution. It's a quick and easy answer to a complex problem. Which is a surefire way of messing it up. What you need in order to realize what you can cut, IF you can cut and where you must do a LOT of work. This work costs money. And it takes time. Possibly quite a bit of time.
And you may find out that you'll need to increase taxes in some areas to fund what your nation needs to retain it's competitive edge. Which - let's face it - has become somewhat dulled lately. Still sharp, very sharp. But much duller than it was.
I see big government as evil. Government is the biggest corperation of them all.
The beauty of democracy is that it can only be so if you allow it to.
Nothing but men with money and power in a room deciding the course of the country. Without monitoring they sell this country off like peice of stock. A highway here, a few ports there, some laws here and there that erode our rights and benefit only a few corperations. Our elected officials do this enough, those companies with take care of them once the people kick that official out after they've run their district, or state into the gutter.
So why don't you do something about it? This world's history is full of individuals who make a change. Gandhi. Mother Theresa. Martin Luther King. Martin Luther... To quote a man I don't really like much "Whether you think you can or can't - you're right"
Ford said that. Like I said, I don't like him much. But the quote is dead on. Never underestimate the power of one.
You say people and the government need to have some bond of trust or some such nonsence. You know how many people watching the "big" debate last week. The one that more people have watched than all the others. 5 million. How many watch American idol on a weekly basis? 30 million. 6 to 1, people would rather watch bad singing than understand the policies of the people who might be our next president. There's no hope for a band with our leaders. The only hope we have is reducing the amount of influence they have over our lives.
Nonsense. It's with an S.
Can you really blame them though? Your politicians are corrupt. The election campaigns are little more than a farce. The differences between the parties are little more than cosmetics. And your history shows that they don't really care much about you the people.
I do not bring up the mutual trust between government and people we enjoy here lightly. It has been instrumental in lifting us up from one of the poorest nations in Europe to one of the richest. What I said is not nonsense. For us, socialism, trust, democracy and a few other things built us up from nothing to something. It may seem strange to you that what pulled us up from a deep marsh was taxation, (somewhat kind) nationalization of natural resources such as waterfalls and oil. And - essentially a big government. In a manner of speaking anyway.
My tip to you is to look at other nations. See what they have done. What works, what doesn't. Adapt it to an American way of thinking - and go for it. The sky's the limit. You as an American should realize that. Historically speaking you're a nation of groundbreakers. Of plowheads, leading the way, braking untilled soil. Einstein praised your nation up and down for your ingenuity your adaptability and your ability to make an impact as individuals.
Of course, he also criticized the American mothers specifically for being slow to accept change, and viewing change as detrimental.
So I'd say it's up to you which of Einstein's Americans you are. A creative, adaptive go-getter or a sceptic change-stopper.
Be thankful that you can make a change. Be wise enough to look at what others have done before making your own decision. And be a pioneer.
