Responsibility of Government Essay Example

Thomas Jefferson once said, "The purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation to live in safety and happiness. Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the governors." The Government carries a certain responsibility for the way lives in the United States flow but to a certain extent. Some responsibilities are to be left for the citizens to tend.

I believe it is the responsibility of the Government to enable the safety of the citizens in the United States. According to Anne-Marrie Slaughter at the "World Economic Forum," "The oldest and simplest justification for government is as protector: protecting citizens from violence." The way taxes are collected from citizens and the ways the Government uses this money, justifies the responsibility the Government has on ensuring safety. Some may argue that "the person responsible for your safety is YOU," and not the Government, but not everyone is a firefighter, a police officer, nor a paramedic.

Thomas Jefferson was and still is correct when he addressed that the Government is for the governed. It would be too costly to have voting centers everywhere in the nation and local issues must be addressed first. Robert Glover, in "Why Do We Need Representatives?" address how if voting centers were to be spread, the estimated cost would be $140 billion dollars for "every home nationwide." Being able to prioritize local issues helps "educate and engage" to create an "understanding on important issues" that may not be so easy to fix.

The government is not responsible for the citizen's happiness. Some argue that "environmental factors such as air pollution can lower well-being" and a solution to this would be parks and green spaces. The Government established a law which banned plastic bags in California in November 2016, which should contribute to bettering air pollution, but most of the citizen's still continue to use those plastic bags and are willing to pay the extra 10 cents for that bag. Citizens must take "personal responsibility" and not blame "others for" their "unhappiness." 

The Government carries a certain responsibility for the way lives in the United States flow but to a certain extent. Some responsibilities are to be left for the citizens to tend. The Government should prioritize the safety and representing citizens because this is something that we often cannot do for ourselves. Not everyone owns a gun nor is everyone a paramedic, peace officer, or a firefighter.