The 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
Read moreIt may be hard to believe — given the feckless standoff that the Illinois General Assembly is currently mired in with intransigent ideologue Governor Bruce Rauner — but the Illinois General Assembly has a history of taking bold action to solve big problems. Case in point: the reversing of the Chicago River. In the late 1800s, Chicago, with a population
Read morePeople over 50 remember the air pollution. I remember it. You could see it. You could smell it. You could even taste it. I remember riding in the back of a Ford Gran Torino station wagon on the Indiana Toll Road through the steel town of Gary, Indiana, in 1976. You could almost smell the town before you could see
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