ext_6037 ([identity profile] flewellyn.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] liz_marcs 2008-09-09 06:42 am (UTC)

I knew that you wouldn't get it.

Let me try this: government in a democratic republic represents collective action by the people, to do what the people individually don't have the resources to accomplish. It's useful where a market solution would be sub-optimal or even harmful (yes, Virginia, there is a problem markets can't fix). So, in a representative democracy, at least in theory, what the government decides on as far as services goes, is what a majority of the people want. More to the point, for many problems, government-funded services are more effective and more efficient than a market-based approach, and more able to solve the problem than a voluntary charity.

The "objectivity" thing is a red herring, and absurd on its face, so I won't address that.

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