Contributing Editor: Ronald Hill
Government of the people, by the people and for the people.
Government is Good: An Unapologetic Defense of a Vital Institution is a web project of Douglas J. Amy, Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. The project is a response to the increasingly extreme anti-government movement in the USA and its distorted depiction of government.
According to Professor Amy, “right-wing forces in this country have engaged in a relentless and irresponsible campaign of vicious government bashing for decades. Conservatives and libertarians have demonized government, attacked basic safety net programs like Medicare, and undermined vital regulations that protect consumers, investors, workers, and the environment. We need to recognize that despite its problems, government plays an essential role in promoting the good life for all Americans. Most government programs are working well and are actually improving the lives of Americans in innumerable ways. When we recklessly reduce and underfund this institution, we are hampering our ability to improve people’s lives and to effectively address our pressing social, economic, and environmental problems.”
This Project takes on this anti-government movement and shows that most of its criticisms of this institution are highly exaggerated, misleading, or just plain wrong. Organized into three sections, the project explains:
- The Value of Government. How government acts as a force for good in society.
- The War on Government chronicles the unrelenting assault on government being waged by conservative forces in this country; and
- How to Revitalize Democracy and Government describes the flaws in government that need to be addressed if we are to restore Americans’ faith in this institution.
For more information on this important Project, visit the web-site at governmentisgood.com
