GOVERNMENT is the mechanism by which people cooperate in a society. The absence of government is either anarchy—a system of every man for himself—or a web of privatized for-profit institutions, negating all civic impulses.
Should every function of society be driven by the profit motive? What does this do for civility? For Morality?
The rhetoric of the GOP for the last 40 years asserts that government "is not the solution to our problem, government IS the problem" (Ronald Reagan). The dishonesty and incompetence of the George W. Bush administration conveniently affirmed this perspective, giving rise to the Tea Party, The Freedom Caucus, and the Trump presidency.
It is time to reclaim the concept of "good-government" as an expression of civility, cooperation and shared principals. A government that runs efficiently and in the spirit of compromise acknowledges that there are different perspectives that must be addressed to find common ground.
The bald partisanship of our elected officials and the institutions that profit from divisions in public discourse should be scrutinized: these trends are dividing the nation.
Should Prisons be privatized? Schools? Railroads? The post office? Should healthcare be a profit-driven enterprise? Should we give subsidies to Scientific research? Fossil Fuel exploration? To Alternative fuels?
The answer to these questions is found in the Narrative we choose, the national character we embrace, the heroes we emulate.
BOOKS
The Price of Civilization by Jeffrey D. Sachs
What Money Can't Buy by Michael J. Sandel