The Governement Can't Do Anything Right?

Children speak in extremes – “All,” “None,” “Every.” The reason that these words are childish is because except for in mathematics, these words are rarely true. So it is unfortunate that so many supposed adults adopt this mantra: “The government can’t do anything right.” If you watch Fox News in the evening, it will probably only take you 15 minutes to hear this phrase in this exact wording.

But this is a senseless phrase uttered by thoughtless people. Brief reflection reveals this truth instead: there are 1) some things that the free market does well, 2) some things that the government does well, and 3) some things that the government doesn’t do particularly well, but there is no free market solution for it, and so we are stuck with the government. The successful politician distinguishes between these three types of activities, and acts accordingly. The Republicans simply try to shove everything into the first column.

There are of course plenty of examples of #1: the free market has given us many wonderful things and improved all of our lives. But, although the Republican will be surprised to learn this, there are also many examples of #2. Do you ever worry about the mail you send? Do you ever use your tap water? Do you know any old people who want private insurance rather than Medicare? These are trustworthy services provided by the government. There are also examples of #3. For example, it is cheaper for company X to dump its hazardous waste into the river behind its factory than to dispose of it properly. Now, sometimes the EPA does an alright job of preventing this, sometimes it does not. But there is no free-market solution for this (the free-market is the problem here), and so we are forced to hope that the EPA is competent.

We need a leader who allows to the free market to work its magic, provides citizens with services when appropriate, and has the courage to stand up to the free market when the free market is threatening to destroy itself and us. If the Republicans ever come up with a candidate like this, I will consider voting for him or her. But right now, the Republican party is filled with children who think that no matter what the problem, the solution is the free market. This is only true occasionally.