Proper Function of Government

[Farnan]

This is a very broad, but very fundamental question in the study of political science. What do you believe the proper function of government is?

[CtrlAltDe1337]

The government is there to serve the people and keep society running within its bounds by punishing crime and allowing stuff like free trade, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech to take place. The government should be as small as possible while still fulfilling these things.

[Code_Knight]

I agree with Crucifix, these are the principles that America was founded on.

[Shaun]

The government is there to serve the people and keep society running within its bounds by punishing crime and allowing stuff like free trade, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech to take place. The government should be as small as possible while still fulfilling these things.

Agree.

[Winter]

Tough one. Anyway here's what I think:

1. Protection of Civil Liberties.

Any government has a responsibility to protect the liberties and freedoms of its citizens. These include Freedom of Speech, Assembly, Peaceful Dissent, to own weapons, and freedom of Religion. I do believe that the protection of these liberties does require a system of checks and balances in the government, as well as a government limited in power to an extent. To achieve freedom of Religion, separation of church and state would be necessary to ensure no state-sponsorship of any one religion.

This also includes the rights of accused criminals. The accused should be given access to defense, protection from double jeopardy, Freedom from Cruel and Unusual Punishment, excessive bail and fines and a speedy public trial.

2. Defense of the State

One of any government's biggest duties is to protect it's people from threats, foreign and domestic. This means raising an army to protect the nation from other nations' armies, and maintaining a police force and fire departments for the protection of the people.

3. Promotion of Public Welfare

In any industrialized nation, there is no reason that any person should suffer the effects of extreme poverty. Therefore, a government must have some sort of welfare program to help the homeless or very poor citizens of the nation. The extent to which this should go, such as to providing health care to everyone in the nation, I'm not sure.

That's all I've got for now.

[Icefrisco]

The governemnt is there to serve its citizens. No one elses. Anything the government does should be meant to improve the lives of its citizens.

[Last Roman]

The government is there to serve its citizens. No one elses. Anything the government does should be meant to improve the lives of its citizens.

exactly. To what extent the government serves should be up to the people.

So basically, there is no one proper function of government, except to be at the service of a nation's citizens.

[Cyphon88]

Im with Last Roman here. Any discussion of what people think governance will result into debates over different idealologies rather than what governance is/should be. There is no definitive answer and nor is there likely to be with the myriad of political opinions on this forum as evidenced by the endless idealologies threads in here/mudpit.

[Bokks]

At its core, government exists simply for stability.
According to most cultures, beyond that government has the responcibility to serve the people--all the people, not just the ones who made it or support it--promote general welfare, establish justice, extend tranquility and provide for the common defense... which is almost (though not quite to the word) what the American Constitution says.
It has been seen, as time moves on, that the best way to so this is to establish a government ruled by elected officials from among the people themselves, not among a higher class or caste, that rule for a limited amount of time. Failing that allowing free elections with the capacity for a common person to attain power, even if it usually doesn't happen in such a way, with the ability for dissent and free expression is usually acceptible.
If it cannot do these things without ensuring that its core requirment be fullfilled, however, they usually don't last. You can have the best and friendliest government in all the land, if it can't protect itself and its citizens from all threats--foreign and domestic--it simply will not last.

In my personal opinion a government must be as large as possible to attain these ends. Small governments, James Madison tells us, have the unfortunate tendancy to side with the majority. large governments rarely have a discernable majority, and therefore are forced to generalize. A Muslim Imam once said that thirty religions living side by side will do so in peace, 3 will do all they can to annihilate one another, and so too is that the nature for any foundation of men. While small governments may seem attractive, they have the capacity to decide that a minority must be extinguished for the stability of the community. A government, a rightful government anyway, must seek stability while still catering to the needs of the minority and opposition as well as their own brood, and the best way to do that is with a larger government. (this is not to say I support a "Pangeal" government, one country in the world, because I vehemently don't)

A perfect government, in my opinion, is one that is legislatively isolationist but supports a free market that will extend to a global sphere, with judicial regulations and executive oversight to ensure that such a global economy does noty infringe upon other nations rights.

[Hookah Smoking Caterpiller]

Demoskratia

[Каие]

To help the people whom it governs.

[Code_Knight]

For the people by the people

[Kiljan Arslan]

To defend the nation and ensure stability through competitive trade policies, ensuring natural resources aren't squandered ensuring the economy is stable. Also in serving those who help the nation ensure these ends.

[Segestan]

It seems that the posters have collectively formed an good government opinion. A government is the system of representation of a collection of peoples. A good government meets those collective needs openly with public debate and and educates the collective honestly on the issues facing the nation through representation.

[Chlodwig I.]

Its very intresting that religous freedom is mentioned before every other freedom like
the right to live
equity

[Winter]

Not one person here mentioned the freedom of religion first. Unless you mean in the first ammendment to the US constitution, but in that case freedom of religion was a big issue at the time so the framer's reasoning for putting that first is understandable.

But why would that matter, as long as everything is guaranteed?

[LoZz]

to do the will of the people, whatever that may be.