When People Say - The Government Can't Run Anything Right .......

[global1]

what exactly are they referring to or do they mean? Hear me out.

I know on the surface this sounds like a dumb or naive question. I thinking though - if you ask people to explain that statement - that they would struggle in answering. You'll probably get responses about the long lines and the uncaring people at the Department of Motor Vehicles - but - I don't think that most people will be able to - off the cuff - shoot back an answer.

I'm also thinking that most of their criticisms will refer to city or state government and they will be hard pressed to cite examples in federal government.

I think many people have been conditioned - through the years - to say - "Oh the government can't run anything right".

It's been used as a catchall throughout the years by both parties to sink a lot of good legislation and programs.

Overall - on the whole scheme of things - I'm pretty satisfied with our federal government and the programs they administer. Sure - I don't agree with our elected officials when they take us to war and such - but overall I got to give the actual running of the government a grade of "B".

Occasionally - things run into glitches and some things cause us frustrations. What one would expect that in any program that had to deal with 304+ million people. On the whole, however I think things run pretty smoothly.

Am I too naive on this or am I on to something here?

[Critters2]

1. They seem pretty damned happy with the military.

Do they not know it's "the government"?

[SoFlaJet]

2. what drives me crazy

is when I see the former speaker of the house sit there on my TV screen and declare that anything he did (mostly damage thank you Newt) had no consequence whatsoever and served no one any good. Why did you run for office in the first place then? To steal? To see how much damage you could inflict on a broken system? To NOT try and make this a more perfect union strikes of treason to me.

[Atman]

3. The GOP has built it's base on the "Government is the problem" meme.

Ironically, they have to keep proving it. They get in power, fuck everything up, then say "See! Government doesn't work! So you need to keep us in office and not let the Democrats try anything different!"

.

[CrispyQ]

4. You are right - it is conditioning.

Here's my take. Shortly after WWII we started behaving more like consumers than citizens, thanks to the influence of Madison Avenue & television. We were more interested in being entertained with our new gizmos, than paying attention to what our elected officials were doing. Many, many years later, We the People realized that our government was bloated & corrupt & no longer represented us. The repubs took advantage of this moment & pounded it into our collective head that private business can do it better. And so we began the journey of privatizing everything. But we forgot two critical points:

1) Private industry has one consideration & one only: PROFIT. Maybe industry could run things better than the government, but will they?

2) In government, We the People still have the power to vote the bums out. In private industry, unless you sit on the board or are a major share holder, you have no say in what the corporation does. None.

Democracy is a participatory type of government. You can't go to the polls once every 2-4 years & not pay attention in between. You can't expect your Representatives to represent you if you never write or call them & tell them what you want. The only way to hold your reps feet to the fire is to pay attention to what they are doing & give them feedback.

I don't have a large circle of friends & family, but I am the only one of all the people I know, who regularly writes & calls my reps. I'm also stunned at how totally uninformed many of my friends are. Network news is where they get their info & we all know what that means.

Good thread. I hope you generate some good commentary here.

[Echo In Light]

5. It's a loaded, coded criticism intended to undercut support for social safety nets

It's one of the ways that RW propaganda takes root even among those who don't cast themselves as RWingers. That's why so many Dems and/or non political people abide RW rhetoric: b/c much of their talking points are intentionally, strategically not labeled as such, and from there can be perceived as a free floating meme within the public mind that's familiar, so it must be truthful/accurate.

[moondust]

6. Current example.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/14/henry.obama.health.care/index.html

By Ed Henry
CNN Senior White House Correspondent

LIVINGSTON, Montana (CNN) -- I arrived here a couple of days ahead of the president in order to get a better read on his reform effort by talking to people like Sonja McDonald, who told me her husband's job as a diesel mechanic doesn't provide health insurance for them and their two children.

So I found McDonald at a remarkable local clinic getting a low-cost tooth extraction because she has not been able to afford a trip to the dentist in a couple of years. She voted for Obama and agrees with him that reform is needed, but said she's worried about the details.

"I believe that there is a health care crisis, I really do," she told me from a dentist chair in the clinic. "Do I believe that the government needs to be more involved? No! Because I think that they just -- whenever they get their fingers in the pot it just kind of turns black."

~more~

WTF?