Being a progressive, I expect the government to tuck me into bed at night...
But seriously...
I pretty much agree with Tully's points. A couple of my own:
o The military. The US spends more on our military than the rest of the world. Combined. Yes, defense is unfortunately essential, and when push comes to shove, we should be able to defend ourselves and then some...but do we really need this level of spending? Also, I think military spending is absurdly politicized, and essentially used as a way to throw money around - even for all those congresspeople who get all aflutter over 'pork' - military spending never counts as 'pork' to them. I also think military spending is far too often directed towards glitzy high-tech weapons instead of the soldiers themselves. Sure, we need high tech weapons, but we need good soldiers who are well taken care of more.
Unfortunately, any trimming of the military budget is almost politically inconceivable - remember how The Right went absolutely apeshit over Clinton's very, very modest cuts to the military budget...they even blame him for the Bush administration's 'handling' of Iraq.
o Regulation! Nobody likes to be 'regulated', but it's an absolutely necessary function of government. However, regulations should be clear, fair, and subject to review and comment by the public.The EPA, FDA, and even the much-maligned IRS help keep the country running. Their operations and the regulations that govern them should be streamlined and simplified. One would think that deregulation would be a dead cult by now, but...no such luck.
o The courts. An easy branch of the government to forget, but a strong and independent judiciary is one of the things that has kept our country on the right track.
Oh, and I almost forgot - I think that providing a safety net is a vital part of government. For whatever reasons, some people simply aren't able to provide for their own basic needs. We as a society should do that, and Government is the most efficient way to do so. Yes, I used 'government' and 'efficient' in the same sentence. Suck it, neocons. Free food, housing, and health care if you can't provide it for yourself. Of course, it should be relatively shitty food, housing, and healthcare, to encourage lazy people to get off their asses. :-)
---------- Post added at 10:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:41 PM ----------
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Originally Posted by Willravel
In order of importance:
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CDC: One word: malaria.
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I mostly agree with Will, but to nitpick, I don't think malaria is a huge problem in most of the US, even without the CDC. Polio, influenze, smallpox, & co, however, are. Or were. Except for ignorant sluts like Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carey and those who listen to them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willravel
[...]
Americorps: We need an organization to balance the military. Americorps and the peace corps are a perfect machine of good will and a great opportunity for volunteerism.
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Oooh, this is a good one!
2008 Americorps budget: ~$800 million
2008 Military budget: ~$800 billion (not counting Iraq & Afghanistan