Why Government is Awesome

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Created on Wednesday, 10 August 2011 20:13

This summer's been a hot one, and I don't just mean the heat. Between Minnesota's budget stalemate and shutdown, the debt ceiling debacle, and of course, our economic woes, people's normal thresholds for political drama seem to be notched up an inch or two (or three!). 

My politico-meter is sensing a number of changes, but what I'd like to talk about today is the newly-trending approach to government. Simply put, it would have everyone believe that government is no good, and only gets in our way of living a life of freedom.

This worldview seems pretty odd to me, especially because in a democracy, WE are our government. We The People are the decisionmakers about who is in power and which decisions are made. Now, I'm not going to pretend that there aren't things wrong with this system, but I do think that to portray government as completely separate from the average citizen is misleading and un-American. We all have the capacity to be the owners and the authors of our government. That's how the Tea Party got to where they are, even as the minority voice that they are. And when all's said and done, that's pretty awesome.

I also think it's pretty fantastic that part of the role of government is figuring out how society should care for those in our midst who require care. While some might argue that government is not charity, few would disagree with the fact that caring for our most vulnerable is easiest paid when we all do our financial part. In the same way that insurance staves off the worst costs of distaster in our personal lives, government helps all of us relieve the worst burdens when we cannot do it on our own. 

And no one should be expected to do everything on their own.

Perhaps that, to me, is the most amazing part of government. When government is in place, laying down new roads and financing energy innovations, providing health care to the insurance-less and security in our neighborhoods--in other words, operating the way it is supposed to--none of us are ever alone. We are all operating together, in this great machinery of government, creating with another, caring for each other, and contributing together to our great country. What a blessing.

Alison Killeen
Statewide Organizer