In my economics class we’re currently talking about different types of economies. Specifically: centrally planned economies and market economies. In a centrally planned economy the government makes every decision from what is to be produced to who will receive the goods and services produced. In a market economy, consumers alone decide what is to be produced based on their assumptions. My professor went on to explain that no society is completely market, therefore economically successful societies are usually mixed economies; economies with some government intervention but also based on what the consumer wishes to be produced. This led me to think about the role of our government from big decisions to simple day to day tasks. How much say should the government have in an individual’s life or how a business is run? Although some consider Big Brother to be a bad thing, I believe that a strong government is needed to run a country successfully.
We have been blessed with a government that has multiple branches to keep each part in check from becoming too strong. I do not believe that our government should have a say in what kinds of goods/services are produced and how such things are distributed. But I do support having a government that has a large say in what things are done in our country and having a large amount of impact of civilian life. Many people fear such a government. However, our government allows us to choose what individuals occupy offices. Therefore, essentially we are still choosing what decisions are made by choosing who we believe to be the most qualified candidate to make those ultimate decisions. I know I would trust almost any politician to make a political decision before I would trust Joe the Plumber. It’s not that I look down on Joe the Plumber or anyone else of any other occupation, but most citizens are not educated enough to make choices each day that affect millions of Americans. However, that is the exact qualifications that politicians posses. Just like I wouldn’t trust Nancy Pelosi to fix the brakes in my car, I wouldn’t trust a car mechanic to decide if same sex marriage should be legal or who should be consulted to fix the BP oil spill.
I often hear people say that “Obama is just trying to take over America” or something along those ridiculous lines. People expect too much from the President. They are essentially trying to create what they fear most-a dictatorship. The President was never intended to have as much power as citizens try to give him. We blame whatever current President for every catastrophe that occurs, when in reality, he is no more qualified to personally fix an oil spill than a grave digger is to teach a class of first graders. The President’s job, however, is to act on behalf of the country as a whole; bringing in professionals who are educated in specific areas to fix problems and then make a final decision based on the information that is presented to him. I would much rather put the future of my country in the hands of an individual who is trained to think for the welfare of the nation as a whole than a individual who does nothing but complain about what a horrible job the President or government is doing without first educating themselves on the issues.
Educating ourselves about issues is the most important thing we can do for our country. It is so simple to keep up with the government’s plans and policies being discussed. By simply typing “House of Representatives” into Google, you can pull up everything that was discussed while the House was in session that day in full detail. By educating ourselves on the issues and solutions at hand, we can then decide what individuals to put in office based on their performance in the government. Citizens who do not choose politics as their specialty should step aside and recognize that there is someone better qualified for the job. I feel no sympathy for those who choose not to vote in elections or refuse to pick up more than one newspaper to better educate themselves about current events. For this reason I fully support a big government because the individuals running the show were placed into office by me and other concerned members of society because we recognized that someone else knows how to handle political situations better than ourselves. If I feel that the individual has failed to fulfill their duties while in office, I simply will vote a different way next time around. I don’t want just any hot headed American who only chooses to hear one side of the story running any part of the government that presides over me. Instead, I want someone who is willing to listen to any side of any situation and make the best possible choice for the country as a whole.
We should always keep watch over the government, but we should watch from the sidelines. Next election we can choose to change players or keep the players who prove to be a successful part of the game. As American citizens, we should always be aware of our government’s actions, especially during times of hardship, but we should also recognize that for the average citizen, our government involvement ends when we leave the voters booth.
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