Yesterday I asked a question - What should the government be doing [at all]? Today the question is different - What does the government do well?

I am asking this question again as I think about healthcare.* I am generally opposed to expanding the government for any purpose, but I obviously see the need for reform in healthcare. So although it is a cynical question, I wonder what is the government truly good at?

There are many things that the government does adequately. And there are many things that I do not think can be done by a non-government entity, so whether they are good at it or not they are still tasked with it.

There are, however, so many things that our system of democracy seems perfectly made to ruin. I don’t believe Social Security should have ever been created in the first place, but that is irrelevant. The simple mathematical fact is that in 32 years, when I become eligible, there will be no Social Security money for me to draw. I will have paid 40+ years and thousands of dollars for nothing. Our democracy is set up in such a way that privatizing that money or even locking 50% it to my account will never happen. Young people, who would benefit from that change, don’t vote, and older people, who are afraid to change things, do vote. That is not ever going to change.

Democracy, at least our system is also set up so that lawmakers regardless of party need to be constantly spending money in order to give the appearance that they are working for their constituency. That appearance is necessary because they need votes to keep their job.

Having hopefully established that there are many things the government is bad at, I return to the original question? What does the U.S. government do well?

I believe that they are good at defense. Only 2 attacks ever on American soil illustrates this. People argue whether or not we should be involved in the global war on terror, but that does not change that fact that our military is excellent.

I also believe that the government has done a good job of keeping us healthy. (This is not addressing Ben’s comments from yesterday) What I mean is that the FDA, USDA, & EPA keep our food and water clean and safe. With few exceptions, there is not a place in America where it is unsafe to drink water from the tap, eat meat from the grocery, or take the drugs you buy in the store.

I think that is the list. It seems to me that everything else that is in the domain of government responsibility is ruined by bureaucracy or too much involvement. This is the case for education, much infrastructure and so much more.

So there’s my very cynical list. Feel free to put your own list in the comments

Tomorrow, my thoughts on universal healthcare (for what that’s worth)

* Although I am a staff member of LaGrange Park Baptist Church, the views and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and not that of the church. They may not be construed as an endorsement or attack on any candidate or party on behalf of the church. They are my views as an individual.

I have been considering writing a post about the healthcare debate that's currently raging in this country. I am not really surprised by the amount of passion on either side, because our government is considering a major overhaul to something that is central to every person. We all need doctors. In fact we pretty much need doctors to come into the world. Rather than write that post and add more noise to an already loud argument, I thought we could try a thought experiment. Consider the answer to this question:

If the federal budget disappeared today, and you could decide how to spend all the tax dollars; what should the government be doing? For the purposes of this thought experiment, feel free to confuse federal and state governments. Education, for example, is typically the domain of state governments, but if you feel it should be included put it on the list.

Here is my list:

National Defense - It seems to me (and the U.S. constitution) that military expenditures are non-negotiable. Protecting the country is the government's most important function. I would include homeland security, FBI, CIA, NSA, ATF, and Secret Service in this category. We must also take care of those who have served in the past. So we can't get rid of the VA either.

Infrastructure - Powerlines, roads, airports, sewers, dams, and satellites are the things that make life in a civilized nation civilized. The government may not need to be directly involved in the building of all these things, but I do think they all need regulation.

Education - is necessary, and although there are probably much better models than what we have, I'm afraid the horse is out of the barn on this one. We need public education.

NASA - So many things that benefit all of humanity come out of the space program, that I believe it would be foolish to discontinue. I also cannot envision a private model of space exploration that could function.

FDA/FCC/USDA/EPA/CDC - Each of these agencies could be improved, but each is very important. It would be great if government regulation were not necessary, but it is.

Lawmakers - we need to pay the people who work at making the laws for this country. I do not want to abandon democracy and those who are willing to "serve" the country as lawmakers in all three branches deserve to make a living doing so. I hope many of them get fired, because I believe they do not have the best interest of their constituency in mind, but that is a different post.

Treasury - Somebody has to manage the astronomical amount of money we are talking about here.

IRS - Sadly, this seems like a necessity. Even if we got a 20% flat tax we would need the IRS.

You may notice some things missing from this list. It's my list. Feel free to make your own list in the comments.

Tomorrow, in part 2 of this series I'll ask you what the government is actually good at.