There’s no debate. In the United States, income and wealth inequality have skyrocketed in the past 40 years, with wealth becoming concentrated in ever fewer hands. Here are some telling statistics: In 1989, the top 10 percent of families in the U.S. controlled 67 percent of the wealth. The bottom 50 percent of families controlled 3 percent of the wealth,
Read moreMany principled people believe that the federal government is too far removed from everyday life to not screw things up; that they know what is best for them, and thus that the government has no place interfering in their lives. Some view the government as inherently abusive, neglectful, ignorant, dangerous, and potentially out of control. It follows then, that we
Read moreFor the latter part of the 20th century and all of this century, Americans have railed against the “evils of big government.” Barry Goldwater, the 1964 Republican nominee for President, was the first national politician to carry the torch for small government. Goldwater was a vocal opponent of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, rejected the New Deal, and advocated for
Read moreThe concept of freedom is crucial to human flourishing, and is integral to the success of modern capitalist democracies. People often discuss freedom strictly in terms of what they are free “to” do. Free to ride a bike without a helmet. Free to criticize the government without fear of retribution. Free to love whomever you want. Free to shoot a
Read moreYou don’t need many rules and regulations for everyone to have maximum freedom when there are very few people in a large amount of space, such as in Wyoming today, or the American frontier of yesteryear. But when you cram increasing amounts of people into a smaller area, you get a “state of nature” which guarantees freedom only for the
Read moreThe arguments for small government are obvious and common sensical to many Americans. Henry David Thoreau (not Jefferson, as is often erroneously thought) said pithily: “That government is best which governs least.” Resistance to larger government can be traced from America’s Founding Fathers all the way through to the avatar of modern conservatism, Ronald Reagan, who famously railed against big
Read moreThe British comedy troupe Monty Python famously skewered many subjects in their satirical movie The Life of Brian. One such subject was the attitude that government is useless. For far too long in America, the government has been depicted as an ineffectual organization. One where your taxes are wasted and our elected officials are uniformly corrupt and incompetent. The very
Read moreBy Sean Callahan GoodGovernmentReader.com has many missions: We’re out to show that your taxes aren’t wasted, that government is widely effective, and that elected officials aren’t universally corrupt. We also like to remind people that part of the Constitution’s charter is to “promote the general welfare.” It’s right there in the preamble. Obviously, I’m a believer in the power of
Read moreThis post was contributed by Michael Breen, an energy industry executive. You like your mobile phone, don’t you? In fact, many of you are probably reading this post on your smart phone. The amazing device you hold in your hand is equal parts phone, record player, newspaper, television, wallet, email tool and more, all wrapped up into a single astonishing
Read moreThis guest post was contributed by Michael Breen, an energy industry executive. When it comes to the federal government, leadership comes in many forms. Government leaders can demonstrate that something is important to the country by passing laws. By giving a program an expanded budget. And, sometimes, simply by stating inspiring goals. The SunShot Initiative has been a leader in
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What Has The Government Ever Done for Us? 