NationStates Jolt Archive

I say yes it should. It is the purpose of its existence. Governments exist because the majority need a strong body to order society in a way that is beneficial to the majority.

I'll be happy if the government quits causing social problems.

I say yes it should. It is the purpose of its existence. Governments exist because the majority need a strong body to order society in a way that is beneficial to the majority.
What are "social problems" as you are using the term, and how would a government go about correcting them?

It's a double-edged sword. Sometimes, the governments answer to a social problem only creates more problems (whether economical, political or socially), but there have also been some important government successes when dealing with social problems.

Of course, in today's world, where a lot of social problems are caused by governments, maybe we shouldn't let them try and fix it, they'd probably just screw it up.

can you define "social problems" ?

I'll be happy if the government quits causing social problems.


i agree. the goverment correcting problems would be a nice change.

NO! The government's only purpose should be the defence of the people from outside threats and the maintanance of public works! NOTHING ELSE!!!

NO! The government's only purpose should be the defence of the people from outside threats and the maintanance of public works! NOTHING ELSE!!!
Would that be the local government?

Would that be the local government?
No, all forms of government. :) Hopefully it would be local however as the lack of competition for a global government would almost surely allow a totalitarian regime to take hold.

What are "social problems" as you are using the term, and how would a government go about correcting them?
Umm, poverty and crime are the big ones. Most of the others are related to them.

NO! The government's only purpose should be the defence of the people from outside threats and the maintanance of public works! NOTHING ELSE!!!
No police? Yay, gangsta's paradise. :rolleyes:

No police? Yay, gangsta's paradise. :rolleyes:
Corporations or people banding together for justice, better then the current system. :)

No, all forms of government. :) Hopefully it would be local however as the lack of competition for a global government would almost surely allow a totalitarian regime to take hold.

Look, we all know that if the government is ever reduced to merely local, hordes of bikers will become modern day Mongols and raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer their weasely black guts out. Oh. And the meat eating Kangaroos would return. No real reason, just because. And some of the bikers would ride meat eating kangaroos.

Look, we all know that if the government is ever reduced to merely local, hordes of bikers will become modern day Mongols and raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer their weasely black guts out. Oh. And the meat eating Kangaroos would return. No real reason, just because. And some of the bikers would ride meat eating kangaroos.
And my kangaroo bridle stocks will shoot SKY HIGH! I mean... nah.

I don't know, to me it seems obvious. Government is a social organization, created to deal with the many facets of a society. Yes, government is in place for the best interests of it's members/citizens. If it is in the best interest for government to intervene and create a solution to society's ills, then so be it. If it's better to step away and let society figure it out without government intervention, so be it.

If we're going to talk about specific social issues, well then that's different. But generally speaking, of course governments are in place to deal with social issues. That's what governments are for; to organize and serve the interests of society.

Look, we all know that if the government is ever reduced to merely local, hordes of bikers will become modern day Mongols and raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer their weasely black guts out. Oh. And the meat eating Kangaroos would return. No real reason, just because. And some of the bikers would ride meat eating kangaroos.
Cool! I'm all for that!

I'll be happy if the government quits causing social problems.

Likewise. And the government should clean up its messes, too, and stop passing the buck.

It depends on the problems and the solution. Should the government work to discourage the "social problem" of pornography? How about the love of internet forums? How about the causes of crime? Some "problems" on there would be considered by some to not be problems at all(well, only 1 would be a problem according to most people here, there are 3 problems if one is an super-authoritarian though). Also, ending crime is unacceptable if it involves putting innocent people into camps.

Cool! I'm all for that!

Oh, and some sort of dark warlord would arise somewhere. Probably Cleveland. Or Antartica, in which case it would probably be a penguin overlord. Or Scandinavia. They haven't had a good pillaging spree in a while.

Oh, and some sort of dark warlord would arise somewhere. Probably Cleveland. Or Antartica, in which case it would probably be a penguin overlord. Or Scandinavia. They haven't had a good pillaging spree in a while.
What of Canada and the beaver army?

What of Canada and the beaver army?

Nah.

They're gonna be too busy fighting each other for control of the maple syrup industry.

I think its the governments duty to find the root causes of these social problems and eliminate them instead of just alleviating the symptoms.

People are going to continue receiving welfare checks because a) some like to abuse it and b) some cant find jobs that pay a living wage, and if you dont increase minimum wage they are going to stay there. Yet here are the Republicans, bitching about welfare. Well what the FUCK are you going to do about it? You bitch and bitch yet you dont increase minimum wage, and you say "heres a check" and thats it. Maybe if you funded a program to help these people get jobs, they would get off welfare. Oh wait that would be "socialist", that would make the government "too big", and we cant have that can we?

Corporations or people banding together for justice, better then the current system. :)
Corporations - don't serve the interests of everyone, also, no regulation on their behaviour.

People - untrained vigilante groups

People - untrained vigilante groups
Like I said, better then the current system:p

I say yes it should. It is the purpose of its existence. Governments exist because the majority need a strong body to order society in a way that is beneficial to the majority.
yes it should. The government should set the minimum wage, safety standards, youth groups for at-risk teens, but the government should also capitalism do its work. That means lower taxes, encouraging innovation and free enterprise, etc.

yes it should. The government should set the minimum wage, safety standards, youth groups for at-risk teens, but the government should also capitalism do its work. That means lower taxes, encouraging innovation and free enterprise, etc.
I agree.

Like I said, better then the current system:p
No it isn't. Organised gangs would completely destroy vigilante groups.

Like I said, better then the current system:p

Well, obviously before the government hands over the reins of power, it needs to train the vigalantes. Or just hire Batman.

I say yes it should. It is the purpose of its existence. Governments exist because the majority need a strong body to order society in a way that is beneficial to the majority.
I say nay. What has the goverment done for us lately? Those incompetant bafoons can't even pave roads, you expect them to create a stable, moral, envoirment? There was a reason Ronald Regan was for small goverment..

Thier insolece has gone on for far too long, we've seen how well the goverment controls inflation, crime, immoral behaivor, and other misdeeds with our huge taxes, uprising gas costs, over-crowded prisons, and miserable community. Liberals thoughtup statist-socialism, and we all know liberals suck. So what were you expecting of thier goverment ideals?

I say if you want something done right, you have got to do it yourself.. Get a gun, grow some balls, and takeout the criminals your damn self. Get a job, save some money, and subsidize you and your family your damn self. We don't need the goverment anymore then we need a fever in winter time..

"It'll make you warm!"
"But I'm sickly and can barely move.."
"But it's cold outside, this will make you warm!"

I say nay. What has the goverment done for us lately? Those incompetant bafoons can't even pave roads, you expect them to create a stable, moral, envoirment? There was a reason Ronald Regan was for small goverment..

Thier insolece has gone on for far too long, we've seen how well the goverment controls inflation, crime, immoral behaivor, and other misdeeds with our huge taxes, uprising gas costs, over-crowded prisons, and miserable community. Liberals thoughtup statist-socialism, and we all know liberals suck. So what were you expecting of thier goverment ideals?

I say if you want something done right, you have got to do it yourself.. Get a gun, grow some balls, and takeout the criminals your damn self. Get a job, save some money, and subsidize you and your family your damn self. We don't need the goverment anymore then we need a fever in winter time..

"It'll make you warm!"
"But I'm sickly and can barely move.."
"But it's cold outside, this will make you warm!"


Yeah, but you still haven't addressed the causal factor in government's incompetence. I for one would say that the old adage "You get what you pay for" is at work.

I don't think that government in and of itself is to blame. To be honest, the efficiencies of the modern market, the modern army, and the modern state only became possible with the invention of a large, centralized bureaucratic arm of the government. Before that, we had the true model of inefficiency, redundancy, and ineptitude in the local feudal system. Rather, the incompetence of the government today stems from the fact that 1) most of the people in the current administration don't believe that the government has any business helping the poor, directing emergency cleanup, regulating trade, or any other activity, so it isn't surprising that those agencies are models of incompetence, and 2) we don't bother to pay enough in funds to finance those activities anyway. As such, we've effectively made a choice between a high-priced quality brand that will rarely give us problems, and a cheap no-name model with no warranty. We chose the latter because it promised us lower initial expenses, and then we wonder why it breaks when we ask it to do something.

I say nay. What has the goverment done for us lately? Those incompetant bafoons can't even pave roads, you expect them to create a stable, moral, envoirment? There was a reason Ronald Regan was for small goverment..

Thier insolece has gone on for far too long, we've seen how well the goverment controls inflation, crime, immoral behaivor, and other misdeeds with our huge taxes, uprising gas costs, over-crowded prisons, and miserable community. Liberals thoughtup statist-socialism, and we all know liberals suck. So what were you expecting of thier goverment ideals?

I say if you want something done right, you have got to do it yourself.. Get a gun, grow some balls, and takeout the criminals your damn self. Get a job, save some money, and subsidize you and your family your damn self. We don't need the goverment anymore then we need a fever in winter time..

"It'll make you warm!"
"But I'm sickly and can barely move.."
"But it's cold outside, this will make you warm!"
I'll answer your posts if you are able to structure them coherently. I don't like rants.