A tribute to the 99ers: We are not invisible.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Why People Hate Government and Why They're Wrong.

There are so many people that hate government. Those on the right think government does too much , those on the left think government does too little and those in the middle think government just doesn't do. The fact is government isn't the problem, people that hate government are the problem.

We live in a representative democracy. In other words everybody has a equal vote in electing the people that govern, but those elected officials determine policy i.e. tell us what to do. I can't speak for you, but I'm not enamored with the idea of a stranger (even a stranger I helped elect) telling me what I'm allowed to do. Additionally, government must represent the electorate as a whole, even those that didn't bother to vote. Since I voted, I deserve priority consideration.  Finally, government is charged with balancing competing interests, maintaining a level playing field and giving voice to those unable to speak for themselves (e.g. future generations). Succinctly, government is a referee and whether it's a sporting event, art exhibition, bake off or even a pro wrestling match, no one ever like the ref. The best that can be said about a referee or umpire is they went unnoticed. Government rarely goes unnoticed.

So when government legislates a compromise at best 40% will be happy, and that's on a good day. Quite often, almost everyone dislikes being governed, so government can't win even when doing an outstanding job. It's wrong to hate someone for merely doing their job, which is why people are wrong to hate government.

Something you can't hate and should absolutely join is the #99eraid Twitterchat, Tuesdays 8 PM EDT. Just search the hashtag #99eraid.


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