What government should do, and not do
Government, through a process of democratic deliberation and consensus building, should decide what actions we agree are important and necessary for a civil society, from filling potholes, educating children, and staffing community health centers, to maintaining courts, preserving neighborhood and national parks, protecting safety standards and safety nets, even building aircraft carriers and space stations.
Taxing and spending is what governments do to accomplish these goals. Taxes should be fair and equitable; spending should be sufficient and appropriate to accomplish the work. That is what makes good government. We should be asking, even demanding, this of our representatives.
Government should not intrude in personal decisions, whether it is a woman facing an unexpected pregnancy, parents caring for a non-binary child, or an elder facing end-of-life decisions. Those should be left to the individual, their family, their medical caregivers, and their spiritual counselors. Government has no place in these private matters.
On Nov. 3, expect good government at all levels. It’s what we are voting for.