From: laelth@yabbs
To: raven@yabbs
Subject:  The U.S. Government
Date: Sat Jan 29 13:05:40 1994

No doubt.
The government of the State of Georgia is a complete joke, and I hope they 
permanently get out of the lives of the citizens of the state.  However, I 
don't share the same feelings about the federal government.  Once we admit 
that there are real problems in this country, then we have to ask 
ourselves who is best able to solve those problems.  I just don't trust in
the generosity that you espouse, and that you claim our entire generation 
shares.  Before Social Security, before Aid to Families with dependent 
children (welfare), before Unemployment Insurance, and before 
Medicare/Medicade the private social services that tried to deal with 
our domestic ills failed miserably.  That's why we created these social 
programs, to aid the people that the private charities could not or would 
not help.  Histoy has proven that you cannot rely on the generosity of the 
rich, or even the middle class.  In order to preserve domestic tranquility 
(prevent a revolution) the government must provide some kind of assistance 
to those that our society causes or allows to be poor, destitute, 
unemployed, uninsured, etc.
    It's popular right now to argue that the government is BAD, that it 
can't do anything right, that it is unfailingly corrupt, and that people 
would be happier without government interference in their lives (Rush 
Limbaugh).  However, we need to see who benefits from our believing 
something like this.  The rich and the powerful do.  They benefit when we 
(who outnumber them) give away our only check on their activities, namely 
the government.  We castrate our own power when we destroy or limit the 
power of government.
    I mean, do we really think that the government is that bad?  What 
would you prefer, a monarchy? ... a dictatorship?  ... anarchy?
   Who do we think we're kidding?  We live the good life in this country, 
under the protection of this government?  People who argue against 
government are either blowing hot air (telling people what they want to 
hear), or they're hypocrites.  Take your pick.

-laelth