Stop Relying On The Government To Fix Our Nation | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics

Stop Relying On The Government To Fix Our Nation

Politicians have never, and will never, have our best interest at heart.

731
Stop Relying On The Government To Fix Our Nation
Aaron Kittredge

There are very few things that the government does better than the private sector. Schooling, healthcare, and helping the poor always work better privately than the public counterpart. The job of the government is to protect its state's sovereignty, not protect people from themselves. Every attempt at helping the people is almost always a failure, if it involves the government providing goods of any sort.

Publicly funded institutions are dangerous and unreliable due to how our country is run, it's one of the few drawbacks of our republic. For 4-8 years, someone can rely on a government program just to have it taken away. Not only is the possibility of a program being eliminated, but most programs being fought for are worse when run by the government.

The government is not good at anything it does. Anything. The government is atrocious at everything whether a Republican or a Democrat is in charge. Quite frankly, it is not even up for debate whether the government is good or bad at the things it does. Rather, there could be a debate for which activity it is the worst at carrying out.

The war on poverty is one of the ultimate government failures that encapsulates how truly atrocious public programs are. According to this article on Forbes, the poverty rate today is 2% higher than that of 1967. Trillions and trillions of dollars have been poured into the welfare state and the sad attempt to eliminate poverty through public policy. Welfare is continually abused and the system never changes, and shockingly enough there are still poor people at every corner. The numbers on the war on poverty are shell-shocking, but the number of people in poverty is not.

You cannot rely on politicians and public programs to help save the poor and rid our streets of poverty. However, charity and being decent people is something that could be very consistent if we build our cultures that way. Treat people how you would want to be treated and help those in need. It is really that simple. However, relying on our government did not get us anywhere in the over 50 years of the War on Poverty, so why would anyone continue to rely on it?

One of the biggest issues in our nation is undoubtedly healthcare. The debate in healthcare nowadays usually consists of volatile lies from both sides and no real debate. However, despite what Bernie Sanders will tell you, a single-payer government run healthcare system would be as much of a disaster as other government programs.

Giving the entire nation’s healthcare over to be handled by the government would work out very similarly to a different program already run by the federal government. The Veteran Affairs healthcare system has been a total disaster for years and is detrimental to the nation’s veterans. Giving the federal government the task of ensuring healthcare for everyone would turn out very similarly, and people would actually die.

In fact, every single time the government gets involved in healthcare, prices seem to go up. The only way to truly help those that cannot afford healthcare is to give to charities that help those stricken by unfortunate illnesses. It is impossible to coerce people into giving healthcare at a financial loss and have the quality continue to be what it is in the United States.

Not only would the government be awful at distributing drugs that citizens need, it has also failed to stop the illegal use of narcotics across the country. The government tasked itself with stopping serious drug abuse, and instead has wasted over a trillion dollars arresting people for things like marijuana possession; the war has created a dangerous black market ruining lives and incarcerating absurd amounts of people.

In America, drugs come with serious penalties, even marijuana. The fight for just medical marijuana is still raging, with newly appointed AG Jeff Sessions pointing a condescending finger at any and all forms of marijuana.

Somehow, many lawmakers fail to recognize that marijuana is not a problem, but a solution. The opioid abuse in young people is on the rise and ending prohibition of marijuana could easily decrease the opioid epidemic that is now raging in our nation. But alas, the war on drugs continues and helps make up a list of things the government is inept at.

The constant government intervention that has made this country deteriorate in some areas is almost never necessary. While Bernie is shouting to publicize everything, private efforts always work better.

The Washington Post estimated that 4,157,894 different people went on a women’s march across various states in 2017. The federal government gave Planned Parenthood a little bit more than 528 million dollars. That means, if every person that went on one of those marches donated just $127 they could fund Planned Parenthood for a year. That is not even mention all the avid defenders of Planned Parenthood that did not attend a march.

This is not to say we should defund Planned Parenthood, I do not believe in that. However, clearly public funding is not necessary.

Another way we trust the government too much is with our children. Many parents are not able to take care of the children they have, and put them up for adoption in the local foster care system. The foster care system has done nothing than hurt children and open them up to government funded abuse.

I personally have witnessed the failure that the foster care system has become. Privatizing such a thing would be just as dangerous, because children are not products and moving kids for profit violates human rights. However, making a difference by adopting children in our own country is an easy solution. People have this obsession with adopting children overseas, and there really is nothing wrong with that.

However, our government-run foster care system has kids literally being kept in cages and children in our own cities need our help. To end such a program would be simple, adopt locally. Adopting locally is cheaper and will help American children first.

The government is not and will not be good at anything. Legislation is not passed based on what anyone believes, it is passed based on where the money infusions are coming from and what those people want. Hence why the mental health system has been neglected after Bill Clinton and on. The bigger the government, the more special interests will play a role in legislation.

Despite being the greatest country on Earth, the United States has its problems. However, we cannot rely on the government to fix them. In the past, the government has not been able to alleviate pain and suffering. Big government policies have created crises all over the world and at home. In America, we ourselves must invest in the things we believe in, because politicians will never be fully invested in us.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

15 Times "Parks and Recreation" Summed Up Your Library Experience

"I've only slept nine hours over the past four days, so I'm right on the verge of a nervous breakdown." - Leslie Knope

2057
Parks and Recreation excitedly gathered around a laptop at a table in an office setting.

The library. Club lib. The place every college student goes when they want to try and be a productive member of society. Who better to explain your experience than Parks and Rec?

1. When you've finally found the energy to leave your dorm room and walk into the lib like

Keep Reading...Show less
Taylor Swift in orange dress playing a moss-covered piano on stage with bright lights.

A three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Nine Eras. Eleven outfit changes. Three surprise songs. Zero breaks. One unforgettable evening. In the past century, no other performer has put on an electric performance quite like Taylor Swift, surpassing her fans ‘wildest dreams’. It is the reason supporters keep coming back to her shows each year. Days later, I’m still in awe of the spectacle ‘Miss Americana’ puts on every few days in a new city. And, like one of Taylor’s exes, has me smiling as I reminisce about the memories of the night we spent together.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

A Few Thoughts Every College Freshman Has

The transition into adulthood is never easy

27631
Mays Island
Courtney Jones

Today I started my third week of college at Minnesota State Moorhead. I have survived welcome week, finding my classes on the first day, and being an awkward loner in the dining hall. Even though I have yet to be here for a month, I have already experienced many thoughts and problems that only a new college student can relate to.

Keep Reading...Show less
Students walking on a sunny college campus with trees and buildings.

"Make sure to get involved when you're in college!"

We've all heard some variation of this phrase, whether it came from parents, other family members, friends, RAs, or college-related articles. And, like many clichés, it's true for the most part. Getting involved during your college years can help you make friends, build your resume, and feel connected to your campus. However, these commitments can get stressful if you're dealing with personal issues, need to work, or aren't sure how to balance classes and everything else going on during the semester.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

9 Reasons Why Friends Are Essential In College

College without friends is like peanut butter without jelly.

11730
Bridgaline Liberati and friends
Bridgaline Liberati

In college, one of the essential things to have is friends. Yes, textbooks, a laptop, and other school supplies are important but friends are essential. Friends are that support system everybody needs. The more friends you have the better the support system you have. But you also have someone to share experiences with. And don’t settle for just one or two friends because 8 out of 10 times they are busy and you are studying all alone. Or they have other friend groups that do not include you. Don’t settle for just one or two friends; make as many friends as you can. After the first couple of weeks of college, most friend groups are set and you may be without friends.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments