Government is EVIL!

The "recent" Tea Parties and their overwhelming anti-government sentiment has got me thinking, is government really evil? So I've decided to take a look at what the government really does, and see for myself it is really as bad as they say.

One of my friends, you know who you are ;), made the statement once that she could not think of one government program or agency that worked. I, being my liberal self, was taken off guard by such a statement and couldn't believe that she couldn't think of one, I mean not even ONE. I mean there's the ..... uhhh ..... wait.... there's the ...... Okay, so I have a dilemma, as you can see. I couldn't think of any government agencies or programs that were beneficial. So my question, are there any good government programs, or are they all just wasteful inefficient jokes funded by the tax payers dollar?

So I went on search to find good government programs. Turns out my family and I deal with, and in some cases even depend, on government agencies everyday. I attend one of the best schools in the country, and it's made possible because the government funds it. I use electricity, and the FERC makes sure that the electric companies don't charge my family too much money. I know that the water I use is safe because the local government makes sure it meets safety requirements. I can be sure that the food I buy from the store is safe because it meets FDA requirements. I'll be mailing my mother a mother's day card for virtually no cost because we have a nationalized postal service. I can find out what the weather will be like tomorrow because of the National Weather Service. Today we had the fire alarm go off and the fire department came to make sure we were safe, and they are a government provided service. My parents can drive across the state to pick me up on safe roads and bridges constructed by the government. My uncle is receiving treatment in a hospital for his multiple strokes because he is insured by Medicaid. He has access to some of the best medical treatments because of the National Institute of Health, a government agency, and the government's funding of university research. The FDIC makes sure that if my bank goes under that my money is insured. The list goes on and on.

Turns out, the government is EVERYWHERE and you know what I kind of like going to a great school, having my uncle receive the medical treatment he needs, and being able to send my mom a letter for 43 cents through USPS compared to $4 through FedEx. We all go through our daily lives without noticing all the little things we depend on to make our lives easier and safer. Our government has really done a lot of good, and it is agencies like the NIH, which has produced a wealth of medical knowledge, Medicaid/Medicare, which insures the poor and elderly, Social Security, which helps to make sure we can retire and still pay the bills, and so many more that prove that government is not inherently evil. The government is a necessary institution that insures our safety and well being.

I think that if the political right would just take a minuet and look at how it is the government that makes our standard of living possible that maybe they wouldn't be such anti-government crusaders. I mean, the majority of the Tea Parties were thrown in public venues, paid for by tax payer dollars. The protesters were protected by the police, a government agency. I mean really, it is our government and it's spending that made the Tea Parties possible.

For an unapologetic defense of government I would highly recommend GovernmentIsGood.com