Health & Fitness
We Want it All and Pay for None—And Government Shutdowns are the Result
When we vote in elections, we get a little schizophrenic about what we really want. We want our politicians to promise us everything but also make sure we don't have to pay for anything.
Thirteen days and counting. I hear a lot of people say how disgusted they are with the state shutdown. They blame everybody. But heck, maybe we should start blaming ourselves as well.
We want government to do a lot of things for us. We all complain about potholes. We find it annoying to stand in long lines at the DMV. We wish they could plow the streets faster in the winter. And take care of all that ice when its slippery. We want rest areas to be there and parks to be open. We want all of that.
But, gee, why do we have to pay for all of it? We pay a lot in taxes, don't we? We pay enough, don't we?
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Guess that depends on a lot things. Minnesota has a population of more than 5 million people. That's a lot of services to render. A lot of citizens to protect. A lot of cars to license. A lot nursing homes to maintain. A lot of kids to educate.
Sure, with all of that going on there is some wasted money. There are excesses. And things that don't get done. But all in all, we get a fair return on our money.
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Problem is, we only think in terms of our own situation. Some may say, hey, I don't go to the zoo, why should I help pay for it? I don't travel much, why should my money maintain all those rest stops? I don't want any lottery tickets, why should I pay their employees?
Sure, we can all probably take care of our own little sphere of influence. And, yes, we can pick and choose what we need. But as a society and community, there are just some things that have to be done collectively. Even if you want your government to be as small as it can be, there is still a lot we need.
Roads and bridges, licensing and oversight, police and fire protection, disaster services... on and on it goes.
And when we vote in the elections, we get a little schizophrenic about what we really want. We want our politicians to promise us everything but also make sure we don't have to pay for anything.
We all know in our heads it doesn't work that way, but we still want it to.
And government shutdowns are the result.
-Dave Mindeman, mnpACT!
