JustAsking said:
But then I need to say that as an American I am wary of efficient government. To Americans an efficient government is Mussollini making the trains run on time. This might be at the heart of the mystery. You see, I would be very concerned if the police department were made very efficient. ...Like most Americans, I carry DNA from the founding of our country in revolution and the formation of a federation of states.
Great insight as always, JA.
Hmmm...Americans despise weak, ineffectual government, and fear strong, effective government. That kinda leaves
no government at all.
We used to make the world safe for democracy, now we're making the world safe for anarchy, no?
Do we feel uncomfortable with democracy because we don't trust our fellow citizens to make the right choices? Or do we resent government because democracy means that sometimes we won't get our own way?
Can we expect the rest of the world to trust us when we don't trust ourselves?
You've stated the dilemma in a concise. lucid, and self-aware manner, JA. An irrational fear of
all government is not the same as a hatred of
bad government. Americans confuse the two.
It's not in our DNA. The founding fathers were not anti-government. In fact, they wanted one of their own. The right kind of government was the way to
ensure liberty, not destroy it.
Government becomes expensive and inefficient when we hand it over to private suppliers, who have a vested interest in performing as badly as it's possible to get away with.
Government in the US is reformable. How do we go about changing? that's a serious question. Because change we must.