The U.S. Government Is Too Big to Succeed?

[MindMover]

America has painted itself into a corner. Unaffordable demands for social services have led to trillion-dollar deficits, but most political leaders are unwilling to propose a real solution for fear of alienating voters who want it all. Special interests maintain a death grip on the status quo, making it hard to fix things that everyone agrees are broken.

Where is a path out?

Little has emerged from the campaign season to address the reality that government is unsustainable in its current form. Conservative candidates pledge smaller government, but no candidate has solutions to crippling healthcare costs. Pledging to create "a leaner government," President Obama has asked Congress to reinstate presidential authority to reorganize federal agencies. Rearranging the deck chairs will do almost nothing, however, to rescue the foundering ship.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/03/the-us-government-is-too-big-to-succeed/253920/

Don't necessarily agree with everything this writer has to say but he does make some points that we will sooner rather than later have to deal with......

[izquierdista]

1. What's to agree with?

The first paragraph you posted is so full of shit it's hard to know where to start dissembling all the lies. Not even going to bother to follow the link, as my screen would start to turn brown and smell.

[johnd83]

2. "Too Large" in terms of services provided is not the problem

The problem is that the government has become very corrupt and is suffering from institutional senility. Most of our healthcare and defense money ends up in someones pocket or is lost to endless numbers of bureaucrats. What needs to be done is put limits on healthcare profits. We also need to flush the federal bureaucracy and automate a lot of the functions. Corporations did this about 10 years ago. I know it is a nasty and unpopular process but if the government is going to be nimble enough to keep up it will have to be done. We are more than capable of providing the services we depend on if we are just more efficient and less corrupt.

[libinnyandia]

3. The GOP has a simple solution to rising cost of medical services: shift the costs to the

individuals. To reduce deficits, reduce taxes on the wealthy. What has happened is the Democrats have adopted some Republican positions of the past and in reaction the GOP has moved way to the right: insurance mandates and cap and trade are a couple of examples.

[JDPriestly]

4. Our only problem is corruption in business as well as in the government.

The corruption is not caused by the size of our government but by the preoccupation of too many Americans with trying to make a quick and very big, very easy buck.

Lying, cheating, grabbing what you don't need.

I am not suggesting socialism, but a good rule for a happy life and a peaceful society is for each to take what he needs and leave the rest for someone else.

[saras]

5. The government HAS to be bigger than the things it governs - that's why it has a monopoly on force

Corporations are too big. If you want smaller government, make corporations small enough that a democratic government can manage them in any way necessary for the public good, up to and including shutting them down for failure to follow their charter, and distributing the resources to the current owners after paying all the bills.

Oh, and churches too. You can't afford to tolerate a church so large the government (i.e. the citizens) can't keep it in line.

[Doctor_J]

6. It's troll season

Bring back the unrec!