How small should the government really be?

I hear a lot of people complaining about "big government." Do they even understand how taxation works?



Roads. Public schools. Postal services. Student aid. Food stamps. Unemployment insurance. Medicare. Police departments. Fire departments. National parks. Public libraries. Dozens more.



These are things that you pay for, with your taxes. I also pay for them, with mine. Sound pretty important, don't they? I garuntee you'd also be a "communist" if you woke up one day and these programs were gone.



What programs should we get rid of, which ones should we keep?



How big is "big government?"



And when do you plan to move to Somalia, a paradise of zero government?



But just rememberHow small should the government really be?
Personally, i think the way taxes work are sick, because the money goes to people who decide how important one thing is over another, like military, police, or libraries.

I think there that there should be a division of government, one for order(safety and security) which is a minor government, and one for improvement and education (libraries, schools etc) and both should be independent of big business. I think that safety and security is only as good as the libraries and schools that they are there to protect, and without a primary focus on improvement, we will just run around in circles in a state of securing our fears. And that when too much emphasis is placed on security, it undermines the very thing it is there to protect. There needs to be some major lines drawn, and improvement made a lot more accessible. That way the wealth of the nation would increase relative to the needs and motivations of the people minus all the junk that is being produced for encouragement of profit. All maintenance such as food, transportation, shelter etc should be in place first, and they need to be as efficient as they can possibly be to liberate progress. They all play a role, and they are all important in their own aspect. Right now we live in a system that compels people to twist good priorities. ICK People, the government, the media, just need to get their priorities straight ! I'd also like to add that for improvement, the people need to be in greater control, like the monetary system. There aught to be choices, and the money will flow to where the people gain the greatest benefits. And instead of the incentive of money, it will be the incentive to do good. Those who accomplish what people want will be given greater power. This will keep private interest and control out of the system, and give power to the people who are making real positive change. And it is government funded, so it will still be free and supported by the people. This is how to fix the school system.How small should the government really be?
anything the government created through confiscated taxes could be created through voluntary transactions if the demand for the product of service was there. government cant create things out of nothing.



the people lives in somalia actually improved when there was "no government" and when the UN "peacekeepers" stopped trying to create peace through violence. if somalia is that much better off without government, even with their lack of resources and technology, imagine how much better america could be without government.How small should the government really be?
The limitations of the federal government are outlined in the Constitution which is completely being ignored. Roads (not federal highways but things like city streets), police departments, fire departments, and public libraries should and are still currently managed by state and local governments. Each individual state should decide what is best for its people. The job of the federal government is primarily supposed to be defense.



To use some of your examples roads - should be state managed, postal services - eliminate it and allow fedex and UPS to deliver the mail they do a better job anyways, student aid - pay for school yourself (I did), food stamps - local food pantries, unemployment insurance - save your money in case you lose your job, don't tax savings, medicare - pay for your own health care, police and fire - local government national parks - state government managed, public libraries - local government



The world would function with a smaller federal government
The Federal government does not supply local police %26amp; fire or libraries. We had great public schools before the federal government got involved



Judging by the way things are going, Medicare, and the Post office will be gone in 10 years.