What's the most important thing government does?

[JBond]

Keep the buses running, and stay out of people's lives.

garbage collection (also -----where appropriate----snow removal)

These are more important than keeping bad guys from robbing, raping, or killing you?

The government is not capable of doing those things.

 

[dblack]

Keep the buses running, and stay out of people's lives.

garbage collection (also -----where appropriate----snow removal)

These are more important than keeping bad guys from robbing, raping, or killing you?

The government is not capable of doing those things.

Not perfectly, but it can help. Are you an anarchist?

 

[rightwinger]

We maintain a military under the illusion that it "keeps us safe"

However, it is governments investment in public health and the environment that has kept us safe

So, would you be ok with letting North Korea take over the US, as long as they invest in public health?

A better example is India

They have close to a billion people. For most of their existence, they have not maintained a military and have not been invaded.
Their lack of a strong military has not been an issue, but their lack of public health services has led to outbreaks of cholera, TB, typhus and countless other diseases

If you want to use North Korea as an example, they are a perfect example of what happens when you invest in a military at the expense of public health. Their people are starving and they have one of the lowest life expectancies on earth

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

Keep the buses running, and stay out of people's lives.

But you want the government to ban abortion. That's NOT staying out of people's lives. That's intruding in the most horrendous way possible.

No, I want the federal government out of the game. It's a state matter.

 

[dblack]

We maintain a military under the illusion that it "keeps us safe"

However, it is governments investment in public health and the environment that has kept us safe

So, would you be ok with letting North Korea take over the US, as long as they invest in public health?

A better example is India.

Sure, you can cherry pick your examples. You can dodge all day long if you like. But your notion that public health should be the primary concern of government seems very fascist to me. It would be possible - maybe even necessary - for such a government to treat citizens as state property, literally slaves.

 

[rightwinger]

We maintain a military under the illusion that it "keeps us safe"

However, it is governments investment in public health and the environment that has kept us safe

So, would you be ok with letting North Korea take over the US, as long as they invest in public health?

A better example is India.

Sure, you can cherry pick your examples. You can dodge all day long if you like. But your notion that public health should be the primary concern of government seems very fascist to me. It would be possible - maybe even necessary - for such a government to treat citizens as state property, literally slaves.

You asked what the most important thing government does

I told you

 

[dblack]

We maintain a military under the illusion that it "keeps us safe"

However, it is governments investment in public health and the environment that has kept us safe

So, would you be ok with letting North Korea take over the US, as long as they invest in public health?

A better example is India.

Sure, you can cherry pick your examples. You can dodge all day long if you like. But your notion that public health should be the primary concern of government seems very fascist to me. It would be possible - maybe even necessary - for such a government to treat citizens as state property, literally slaves.

You asked what the most important thing government does

I told you

Fair enough. Thanks for answering.

 

[JBond]

Keep the buses running, and stay out of people's lives.

garbage collection (also -----where appropriate----snow removal)

These are more important than keeping bad guys from robbing, raping, or killing you?

The government is not capable of doing those things.

Not perfectly, but it can help. Are you an anarchist?

Nope. Not an anarchist. I'll leave that role to the nut jobs that get off on destruction. The government is not capable of preemptively stopping robbery, rapping or killing. They still happen. Most police forces, when honest, will tell you they are investigators. They interview people and create notes about things that have already happened.

 

[Thinker101]

Wait a minute, is this a trick question?

 

[dblack]

Keep the buses running, and stay out of people's lives.

garbage collection (also -----where appropriate----snow removal)

These are more important than keeping bad guys from robbing, raping, or killing you?

The government is not capable of doing those things.

Not perfectly, but it can help. Are you an anarchist?

Nope. Not an anarchist. I'll leave that role to the nut jobs that get off on destruction. The government is not capable of preemptively stopping robbery, rapping or killing. They still happen. Most police forces, when honest, will tell you they are investigators. They interview people and create notes about things that have already happened.

You've never heard of the concept of deterrence?

 

[rightwinger]

Keep the buses running, and stay out of people's lives.

garbage collection (also -----where appropriate----snow removal)

These are more important than keeping bad guys from robbing, raping, or killing you?

The government is not capable of doing those things.

Not perfectly, but it can help. Are you an anarchist?

Nope. Not an anarchist. I'll leave that role to the nut jobs that get off on destruction. The government is not capable of preemptively stopping robbery, rapping or killing. They still happen. Most police forces, when honest, will tell you they are investigators. They interview people and create notes about things that have already happened.

You've never heard of the concept of deterrence?

Agree

There are not many bank robberies because they seldom get away with it. Same goes for kidnapping for ransom