Among those words we use so freely yet so imprecisely is government. Exactly what is it? why is? how should we understand it as a part of our lives?
Perhaps the simplest definition is this. It's "them!" unless it's satisfying our needs and then it becomes "mine!" We perceive this institution mainly in terms either of what it is taking from or doing for us at the moment. The doing is perfectly fine -- highways, air traffic controls, meat & milk inspections, free public schools. The taking is not fine at all -- speed limits, security screening, rules and regulations, and most especially taxes.
As usual, the notion of government is a political football. Right now the team with the ball is busy asserting "government is too large." And while most Americans seem to share that shout, they don't much like other institutions either. Only 45% have a positive view of labor unions, only 47% feel good about big business, and up to 70% of us no longer attend religious services.
To better evaluate institutions like government, consider what it's been up to lately:
* It just released 5000 hours of Oval Office audiotapes, not only of presidents Nixon and Kennedy, but all the way back to the days of Franklin D Roosevelt. On our give/take scale, these tapes will probably be giving us some unknown facts while taking away some long held legends
* It recently reported the development of a prototype electronic hummingbird which can conduct surveillance via a tiny camera as it flies in and out of windows or perches on nearby tree branches. On our scale, this probably gives added security while taking away additional privacy
* With the latest White House budget proposal, critics from both parties argue it's loaded with "middle-class welfare," because it leaves largely untouched the senior entitlements of social security, medicare and medicaid. The give and take here? Well, as usual that depends on whether you're looking at it from under or over age 65
When it comes to government, Americans have been arguing over it from the get-go. Most of our ancestors came here to get away from governments they didn't like or didn't like them. Opponents to government and government policies have, ever since, been called either freedom-fighters or terrorists (see Valley Forge in 1778, Gettysburg in 1863, and the Chicago riots in 1968 for specifics). Either that or simply listen to President Obama and Speaker Boehner during their next press conference.
On the other hand, think about this. Belgium has just broken Iraq's modern-day record for 250 consecutive days without a sworn-in government. Here's guessing the bottom line give/take test in these two countries has something to do with how much uncollected garbage sits in front of their homes. Say, what about yours...?
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