Blogmocracy in Action!
Guest post by: mfhorn!
Most of us are supporters of ‘limited government’. Sure, we need the federal government to provide its Constitutionally proscribed duties of coining money, dealing with foreign governments, a court system, & providing for national defense. On the other hand, most posters here would eliminate the Department of Education, the National Endowment for the Arts/Humanities & the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. But he question is where to draw the line.
Should we have some kind of federal programs to help those who are unable to provide for themselves? Does the federal government need to provide or promote a plan that people are required to contribute to in order to help them during retirement? Or a voluntary one? Or no plan at all? What about the Consumer Products Safety Commission? Do we still need a Commission on Civil Rights? Should the federal government even be concerned with discrimination by any group or business other than discrimination by the government itself? Should safety standards of cars, or even airlines & drug manufacturers, be regulated, or do we let the marketplace handle it? Should there be regulation on business, other than to prevent monopolies? Do we need bureaucrats & elected officials in Washington telling us that our cars & appliances need to meet certain efficiency standards?
Can some of these functions be better met by the private sector? We have Underwriters Lab & Consumer reports, both of which test product safety and, in Consumer Reports case, reliability & ease of use. Could we rely on them, and similar groups, to let us know what’s safe & what isn’t? Should consumer demand determine if cars are equipped with air bags, padded dashboards & safety glass? Would it be wise to let an airline make its own decisions about the safety & training of its equipment & crews, and let customers set the level of risk they’re willing to accept, and the courts determine penalties for loss of life/property? Can charities, rather than government, better care for the truly needy among us?
And what should we leave to the states, instead of the federal government? Education, for example, is certainly one area I’d like to see left to a more local level.
I’m not advocating one way or the other, not saying that all, or even any, of these ideas are good. I’m just throwing them out there for debate.
-mfhorn
Tags: mfhorn
