The Tea Party and many Conservatives speak of the evils of Big Government. They espouse the virtues of Free Enterprise and eschew regulation as stifling economic growth and financial independence.
I have lived in a country that would be called Third World. They have a minimalist government supported mostly by Financial Aid from Developed Countries. There is iffy infrastructure. Things that are considered necessities by Americans, are luxuries in third world countries. Life is shorter, harder, more dangerous. Education is not free and conducted in crowded classrooms in temperature extremes with no heating, cooling and often no electricity. Anybody who has served in any capacity in the Peace Corps, deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan with the military, with NGO's in third world or developing nations, will recognize that what Americans take for granted are not present in much of the world. These are things that are present and paid for by our taxes and often present only because of regulations which are in place in large part to protect the public and consumer.
Let us walk through a day which is only possible because of "Big Government", taxation and regulation.
The alarm rings. The electricity is consistent because of oversight by the Public Utilities Commission. You sigh and put your feet down on the fire retardant rug which is mandated by manufacturing requirements. The infrastructure of your house is safe and sound, lead free due to manufacturing regulations and oversight by government entities. If there should be a natural disaster, you will receive support and funds if the Government declares it a Federal Disaster. You will be able to rebuild if you have purchased Federally sponsored Insurance (both guaranteed by taxation and regulation.)
You stagger to the bathroom and drink out of the faucet. The pipes from the water treatment plant are built and maintained by taxes. You can safely drink the water out of the faucet because of minimal standards and regulation by both state and federal entities. If you've traveled in anywhere outside of the U.S., Canada, the UK and Europe, you know that you NEVER drink the water. In fact you don't even eat fruits or vegetables because they have been watered with untreated and unsafe water. You know that there are still places in the United States where clean water is not available and has to be hauled many miles in large tanks on the backs of pick-ups. You put on make-up and lotion that will not sicken you because it is manufactured under regulations and testing deeming it safe for human use and consumption. You eat food that has been prepared, grown, cleaned, packaged in settings that are examined regularly for minimal cleanliness and health requirements. If you have allergies, you can check the labels for ingredients because that food product requires full disclosure of the ingredients as well as allergies. You know that the factory/processing plant is regularly inspected for cleanliness and safe handling techniques. You gently strap your infant into the car seat that is required by State Law and manufactured under minimal "regulated requirements", and buckle your school age children into their seat belts. You get in your vehicle and fasten your seat belt. The car has been engineered and crash tested to meet Federally Mandated Requirements. You have a seat belt and air bags because of this. If you were born before 1975, you remember when cars didn't even have seat belts. You drive down the road paid for by fuel taxes, cleaned and plowed by City, County, State and Federal Funds. The street lights (provided by city, state and federal taxes) light the way. You are thankful for road reflectors (State and Federal regulation) this rainy morning guiding the way to the Day Care Center. You place your infant in the hands of a licensed and trained caregiver/teacher in a licensed facility. You drop off your school age children at their school (city, state, federal taxes.) You are confident that the teachers are qualified (state and federal regulations) as you know that a teaching degree is required and obtained at Private or Public Universities (fully or partially supported by tax dollars.) Curriculum is mandated and regulated by the State. You wish perhaps that educational requirements were more consistent state to state, recalling when you taught that children from California are notoriously a full year behind in educational training. As you get out of your car, you take a big breath and murmur thanks for air is much cleaner and clearer than you remembered as a child before Minimal Air Standards were put into place. You remember the year in your childhood when the river caught fire because of the pollutants and manufacturing wastes. The river now has fish in it due to reclamation through the Environmental Protection Agency.
You catch lunch at a restaurant that is regularly inspected by Health Officials where employees are required to wash their hands between customers and after bathroom visits. You note the fire exits which are required by law and must be labelled and easily identified. You ponder the tragedy of the textile workers trapped in the factory fire in Bangladesh. You watch the news that there is a collapse of a shopping mall constructed with inferior building materials and no oversight in some remote country in Asia. You can eat your lunch safe in the knowledge that your food has been inspected and prepared to Public Health Standards.
You stop by the Human Resources office back at work to arrange for your Family Medical Leave during your anticipated Pregnancy Leave; secure in the knowledge that you will have a job to return to following the birth of your anticipated child. After work, you visit your Obstetrician at the Women's Health Center that is supported partially by state and Federal Funds. You are seen by a Licensed Physician who received his training at a Medical School adhering to guidelines established by Federal and State regulation and overseen by the American Medical Association. You are thankful for the medical insurance now required by the Affordable Healthcare Act.
On the way home to pick up your children, you stop by the Public Library (city taxes) to pick up a movie, a CD and a couple of books for yourself and the kids. You make a mental note to download that new bestseller from the library (state funds) onto your e-reader. At home you pick up the mail in the mailbox (federal taxes). You think fondly back to last summer and lazy summer evenings spent mosquito and weed free (county weed and mosquito management).
Every part of your day and life benefits from licensing requirements,regulations and tax-supported funding. You have benefited from all of these if you have ever:
You have only to look in the Blue Pages of the phone book to have impressed upon you the variety and scope of services which are part of local, state and federal government and supported by your tax dollars. When you retire or if you become disabled you will receive Social Security Benefits and Medicare. If you become destitute you know that you can apply for SNAP(food stamps) and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) if you have children.
There are myriad services that we utilize everyday which we consider essential and are there under the auspices of "government". Our food, water, air, houses, hospitals, consumer products are safer and functional because of regulation. So take a moment to allow yourself to imagine what life would be like without these "necessities". Which regulations would you rescind. Which service supported by our taxes would you eliminate?
I have lived in a country that would be called Third World. They have a minimalist government supported mostly by Financial Aid from Developed Countries. There is iffy infrastructure. Things that are considered necessities by Americans, are luxuries in third world countries. Life is shorter, harder, more dangerous. Education is not free and conducted in crowded classrooms in temperature extremes with no heating, cooling and often no electricity. Anybody who has served in any capacity in the Peace Corps, deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan with the military, with NGO's in third world or developing nations, will recognize that what Americans take for granted are not present in much of the world. These are things that are present and paid for by our taxes and often present only because of regulations which are in place in large part to protect the public and consumer.
Let us walk through a day which is only possible because of "Big Government", taxation and regulation.
The alarm rings. The electricity is consistent because of oversight by the Public Utilities Commission. You sigh and put your feet down on the fire retardant rug which is mandated by manufacturing requirements. The infrastructure of your house is safe and sound, lead free due to manufacturing regulations and oversight by government entities. If there should be a natural disaster, you will receive support and funds if the Government declares it a Federal Disaster. You will be able to rebuild if you have purchased Federally sponsored Insurance (both guaranteed by taxation and regulation.)
You stagger to the bathroom and drink out of the faucet. The pipes from the water treatment plant are built and maintained by taxes. You can safely drink the water out of the faucet because of minimal standards and regulation by both state and federal entities. If you've traveled in anywhere outside of the U.S., Canada, the UK and Europe, you know that you NEVER drink the water. In fact you don't even eat fruits or vegetables because they have been watered with untreated and unsafe water. You know that there are still places in the United States where clean water is not available and has to be hauled many miles in large tanks on the backs of pick-ups. You put on make-up and lotion that will not sicken you because it is manufactured under regulations and testing deeming it safe for human use and consumption. You eat food that has been prepared, grown, cleaned, packaged in settings that are examined regularly for minimal cleanliness and health requirements. If you have allergies, you can check the labels for ingredients because that food product requires full disclosure of the ingredients as well as allergies. You know that the factory/processing plant is regularly inspected for cleanliness and safe handling techniques. You gently strap your infant into the car seat that is required by State Law and manufactured under minimal "regulated requirements", and buckle your school age children into their seat belts. You get in your vehicle and fasten your seat belt. The car has been engineered and crash tested to meet Federally Mandated Requirements. You have a seat belt and air bags because of this. If you were born before 1975, you remember when cars didn't even have seat belts. You drive down the road paid for by fuel taxes, cleaned and plowed by City, County, State and Federal Funds. The street lights (provided by city, state and federal taxes) light the way. You are thankful for road reflectors (State and Federal regulation) this rainy morning guiding the way to the Day Care Center. You place your infant in the hands of a licensed and trained caregiver/teacher in a licensed facility. You drop off your school age children at their school (city, state, federal taxes.) You are confident that the teachers are qualified (state and federal regulations) as you know that a teaching degree is required and obtained at Private or Public Universities (fully or partially supported by tax dollars.) Curriculum is mandated and regulated by the State. You wish perhaps that educational requirements were more consistent state to state, recalling when you taught that children from California are notoriously a full year behind in educational training. As you get out of your car, you take a big breath and murmur thanks for air is much cleaner and clearer than you remembered as a child before Minimal Air Standards were put into place. You remember the year in your childhood when the river caught fire because of the pollutants and manufacturing wastes. The river now has fish in it due to reclamation through the Environmental Protection Agency.
You catch lunch at a restaurant that is regularly inspected by Health Officials where employees are required to wash their hands between customers and after bathroom visits. You note the fire exits which are required by law and must be labelled and easily identified. You ponder the tragedy of the textile workers trapped in the factory fire in Bangladesh. You watch the news that there is a collapse of a shopping mall constructed with inferior building materials and no oversight in some remote country in Asia. You can eat your lunch safe in the knowledge that your food has been inspected and prepared to Public Health Standards.
You stop by the Human Resources office back at work to arrange for your Family Medical Leave during your anticipated Pregnancy Leave; secure in the knowledge that you will have a job to return to following the birth of your anticipated child. After work, you visit your Obstetrician at the Women's Health Center that is supported partially by state and Federal Funds. You are seen by a Licensed Physician who received his training at a Medical School adhering to guidelines established by Federal and State regulation and overseen by the American Medical Association. You are thankful for the medical insurance now required by the Affordable Healthcare Act.
On the way home to pick up your children, you stop by the Public Library (city taxes) to pick up a movie, a CD and a couple of books for yourself and the kids. You make a mental note to download that new bestseller from the library (state funds) onto your e-reader. At home you pick up the mail in the mailbox (federal taxes). You think fondly back to last summer and lazy summer evenings spent mosquito and weed free (county weed and mosquito management).
Every part of your day and life benefits from licensing requirements,regulations and tax-supported funding. You have benefited from all of these if you have ever:
- visited a city, state or National Park
- Hiked on a trail in the National Forest
- bought a car (protected by the lemon law)
- fished in a stream protected from manufacturing waste and run-off
- boated in a public waterway
- hunted on public or private lands
- attended public or private schools
- gone to the emergency room
- served in the military, Peace Corps, UN, USAID
- bought or worn clothing manufactured in the U.S.
- purachased any of a variety of consumer products that are regulated for safety
- you are protected as a consumer from faulty or defective products by regulation
- are injured on the job (workmans compensation), federally state funded Vocational Rehabilitation
- worked anywhere covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- taken medication (FDA oversight/regulation)
- ridden on Amtrak or commuter trains
- flown on an airplane (minimal safety requirements, Federally Paid Air Traffic Controllers)
You have only to look in the Blue Pages of the phone book to have impressed upon you the variety and scope of services which are part of local, state and federal government and supported by your tax dollars. When you retire or if you become disabled you will receive Social Security Benefits and Medicare. If you become destitute you know that you can apply for SNAP(food stamps) and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) if you have children.
There are myriad services that we utilize everyday which we consider essential and are there under the auspices of "government". Our food, water, air, houses, hospitals, consumer products are safer and functional because of regulation. So take a moment to allow yourself to imagine what life would be like without these "necessities". Which regulations would you rescind. Which service supported by our taxes would you eliminate?
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