[net.politics] Reason for a government

trc (03/11/83)

The fundamental purpose for a government is to insure the rational
use of force.  This is needed because not everyone is rational all
the time, and sometimes even rational people are unable to agree.
A government serves an enforcing and arbitrating role -
in short, it insures justice and protects freedoms.

A government can support an economic system by enforcing contracts in 
an even-handed manner and by settling disputes.  Not all governments
limit themselves to this - some (most) interfere greatly with the
economic system.  Since this goes generally contradicts the purpose
of government, it is wrong.  (It is a contradiction because it causes
the government to be biased, and also because frequently individual
rights are run over in the process.)

ka (03/12/83)

Two questions to for Tom Craver or anyone who agrees that the
proper role of government in the economy is limited to enforcing
contracts and settling disputes:

1) Do you believe that the Rosevelt's attempt to get the country
   out of the great depression was wrong?

2) More generally, do you believe that a modern (technological)
   economy will run effectively without government tuning?

Kenneth Almquist

henry (03/22/83)

  "More generally, do you believe that a modern (technological)
   economy will run effectively without government tuning?"

A better question, Kenneth, is "do you believe a modern economy
will run effectively WITH government tuning?".  Based on recent
evidence, the answer would seem to be NO.  A government that can't
even deliver the mail promptly certainly can't run an entire national
economy.  (This may sound like "trivial complaint --> sweeping over-
generalization", but think about it:  WHY can't the government get
the mail there on time?  The causes are not specific to the Post Awful.)

To my mind, this is the single biggest objection to socialism and
suchlike:  the government cannot run anything well ("crime wouldn't
pay if the government ran it"), so it behooves us not to trust the
government to run anything that can possibly be run by other means.
However stumbling and imperfect those other means are.

					Henry Spencer
					U of Toronto