Big fat government, and reducing its carbon footprint.

Some have complained that my writing is much less entertaining than I imagine, and that I should shorten my essays. I apologize to those of you who feel this way. My expected reward for work, shall be an improvement of my writing ability. I appreciate your criticism, and will work on improving this blog, and hence its entertainment value.

What is the absolute minimalist role of government? From my perspective there is only one task that I expect my government to accomplish. It is to protect its citizens.

I expect my local government to protect me from thieves, thugs, and delusional locals. For this protection, I will gladly pay the salary of police officers that patrol the neighborhood and the cost of jailing the above mentioned perpetrators. A court system is needed to properly sort out these criminals, as well as, to judge fairly when a delusional neighbor has accused me of some wrongful conduct. Finally, there is the cost of administering these entities.

For my federal tax payments, I expect the national government to protect me from foreign thugs, thieves, and psychopaths. I also charge the federal government to go after criminals not only foreign to the United States, but also those who come from other states or have fled across state lines. Therefore I consider the army and federal law enforcement as the only legitimate roles for our central government.

All the other duties we have needlessly piled onto our government would be much better handled through private enterprise. For this reason nearly every parent that can afford it, sends kids to private schools. Some chose to move into an overpriced neighborhood so that their children can go to a good public school, but it is simply another way to pay privately for a better education. How many more of us would be able to afford private school tuition if we weren't forced to pay for public schools through taxes?

Charity is a noble accomplishment, but if our politicians wish to make themselves feel well about giving to the needy, they should give their own money. I donate to charity as well, but I do not have this luxury of donating other people's money. Welfare expansion is not what we elect our government officials to do.

Want to fund basic research and local art exhibitions? Let the voters decide what they are wish to pay for. In fact, let them contribute however much they want and to whichever project they want, and cutout the middleman.

Some believe that it is our government's role to care for the elderly. It is not; we have all contributed to our retirement plans, and we hope that our government gives some of these deposited funds back to us. Some out there believe that the majority of Americans wish to pay the cost of caring for those that never contributed to this fund. They are mistaken. A fable involving the ant who worked all summer to save up for the winter and the grasshopper who wasted his time comes to mind. This story's popularity is owed to its inherent universal truth.

This is my vision for the ideal size of our government, and I wonder if my views are the views of the American majority.