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What do you believe the role of government to be? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Regardless of your geographic location, religion, heritage, party affiliation, or your firmness on historical texts; what is it that you believe government's role to be - or should be?

If you'd like to elaborate, what is it you think your local or national government gets right and gets wrong?

I pose the question because I believe this fundamental belief is through which we observe and react to politics. There are things we want or don't want government to do but often legislation or special interests or geographic or political threats get in the way. Our reactions to politics are often, but not wrongly, short-sighted and emotional without context or wisdom. I don't see much dialog around this topic and I wonder if people subscribe to political parties without really considering if the party aligns with what they genuinely believe government's responsibility is or should be.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Like the others so far have said, if government is to justify its continued existence it needs to be for the good of all the people, not just those with capital.

It still implies a level of hierarchy and control, which isn't good and will tend to lead to centralisation and corruption because power tends towards collecting more power.

But if it could be making life on the ground better for all the people, (food, shelter, education, preventing the environmental destruction that private ownership has bought) not at the expense of people within or without it's borders (even that one child in the secret basement), them it'd be a damn sight better.