If government is corrupt and inefficient, why make it bigger?

Let me start off by saying that America is a great country. Its not everywhere in the world that people have a constitution of the people by the people and for the people. Many have gone to their graves to protect that very principle, and we should all honor their sacrifice.

On the other hand, I have some substantial criticisms about our government, which I don't think are made clear by the usual protestors and then I some suggestions for the general public. Rather than tell you what I think about the government though let give you an allegory to explain it instead.

Our current government is like bohemith that sits on the couch eating potato chips while the kids go out to work. The money earned is spent by this unusually lazy "parental guardian" by paying the interest on old debt, paying for cable, and hiring neighbors to mow the lawn.

Eventually, a few kids realize that they don't really have to work, and instead they can just ask the "parental guardian" to take more money from the working kids. A little less money coming in...but no big deal, everyone still has their health and safety.

A couple of months go by and two of the kids get into a car crash on the way home from work...both seriously injured...likewise a couple of the nonworking kids get into a car accident on the way home from the grocery store. The potato chip chomping "parental guardian" gets thousands of dollars in medical bills for the 2 kids who have no jobs, and the other 2 kids have now lost their savings. To continue life as normal, the parent knows he must ask his neighbors for more money.

Some of the kids get really worried that this may happen again...or worse happen to them so everyone agrees that insurance is needed. The kid who still work get a benefit deal through their employer... but what will become of all the other kids who depend on the family? A majority of the family agrees that the "parental guardian" ought to take out a policy just incase things go wrong. But some of the kids are upset, they don't think its fair that the kids who never worked should be insured with their money. But those kids are quicky silenced because any compassionate human knows that everyone is entitled to healthcare.

The first family healthcare package concurs with more money being taken from the working kids for the general fund. But when kids on the family plan get sick they realize that it doesn't cover all the medications that the working kids get. The kids on the family plan also realized that there is a real possibility that they could be denied lifesaving healthcare because their plan has too rigid a formulary. A family meeting is called, and once again healthcare comes up....but this time its about making it universal....

The roots of our nation are not government, they are free enterprise. Living in a free country is only one half of what it means to be an American, the other half of the idea is that you and I would suddenly realize that survival and freedom to sit on the couch with potato chips don't go hand in hand....and eventually you would run out of potato chips. Suddenly you might decide to go out and work...or maybe get an education...and maybe even become a mark twain a bill gates a michael jordan a paul newman...or that guy on the home shopping network. Regardless, this concept potentially frees us to enjoy the fruits of our highly specialized labor.

By its nature government is not competitive, which isn't a bad thing, it just means that it should take any function that would not be better handled by individual or corporations working in their own interest.

For example, we need government to run the military because having anyone else run it would be dangerous, it could be bought by anyone and used by anyone. Not a good plan. We also need government to ensure that kids are given a good chance to succeed even though their family may not have any money. No corporation would pay teachers to educate clients without money. We also need to have a reasonable fallback plan for people who suddenly cannot support themselves. These things and a balanced budget are not unattainable by government, they are just unattainable by this governement.

The key is getting our society back to its roots. We need to stop asking why the other guy is so rich, happy, or maybe even just content with his own mediocrity. Instead people should buy a book or stop over to the other guys house and find out what to do to change things.

I am by no means even middle class...I'm borrowing a ton of money to go to school and live off of pasta and stope and shop sauce...I take out loans and work part time to pay the rent...but you know what, its not impossible. And my story is not unusual, there are many college students who do exactly the same thing.

We need a change in america and it isn't going to come from the next president of the united states....whoever he is. American's need to stand up for their right to be free from a government that fails to serve. Send me your thoughts.

Dan