Discussion - What is the Purpose of Government?

[Rook]

I was reading The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy last night. I just finished the chapter where Deep Thought begins to contemplate the answer to great question about life, the universe and everything. For those of you who have not read the book, here is a spoiler alert. Deep Thought, after seven and a half millions years of calculation and contemplation, comes to the conclusion that the answer is 42. The answer makes no sense because, as Deep Thought will inform us later in the book, we don’t know what the question is. That got me thinking. Things don’t necessarily work out when you try and come up with answers when you don’t even know the question that you’re trying to answer. I think a lot of the contention and debate that goes on in politics has this very fault. All these laws and regulations and such are ways to define one reoccurring question that no one asks.

What is the purpose of government? Does X or Y law help create an environment that achieves that purpose? That purpose changes depending on the community and the type of government. The purpose of a democracy is much different than a monarchy, or communism or socialism.

This thread’s purpose is to define what the reason for the Uantir government really is. We will create a definite and concrete set of goals and parameters that can be used as a guide for creating (or rejecting) new legislation. It can serve as a ruler for which to judge if an appointed member of government is fulfilling their role properly. Like a well written job statement that can be used to review an employee’s performance, a well stated government purpose can be utilized to ensure the government’s performance.

I'll start.

The government's purpose is to be the representative interface between multiple groups, namely nations. Millions cannot effectively associate on an administrative level with each other. As such government should be primarily charged with the jobs of interfacing with other governments, be they foreign or between the Territories and the Crown. The only real domestic responsibilities the government should be responsible for is the safety of the citizens through proper infrastructure, law enforcement, fire protection and natural disaster response and prevention. Beyond that the government's job should be focused primarily on national defense through the expeditionary military (as opposed to the territorial, or defensive military and militias,) diplomatic negotiations with other governments and the monitoring of international trade.

Every one of these points can be discussed in more depth and defined further, but for now I’m targeting key concepts.

[Rook]

Bump. Anyone?

[Rook]

This discussion is now priority number one, as it will define how we focus our projects and efforts. For years we've striven to get a little bit of everything done. We've set a framework. It is no time to target specific areas and specialize.

[Rook]

So I've been working on this for a while, and it will take much longer to come out with one blanket document with all my thoughts than I thought, so I'll break it out in installments.

"The government is best which governs least."

The purpose of the Uantiri government is...

… to respect self governance – Each Uantiri citizen is free. They possess the freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, etc. Each individual possesses the power to do, think, and speak, etc., according to choice. As long as one person's liberty does not impede upon another person's liberty, then that person should be allowed to do whatever they please. It is up to the individual to utilize their own liberty and to take responsibility for their own actions. The Uantiri Government cannot be expected to coddle its population and do for a citizen what that person can do for themselves. Uantir has the responsibility to, like parents who have to let their children grow up, resist the temptation to rush in an ‘save’ people who can, despite adversity, persevere on their own. The government must always keep in mind that every action of the government costs money that is obligated from people’s own wealth, that such income is finite and cannot be raised independent of a raise in the wealth of the population, and must be spent with surgical fiscal efficiency. What government exists does so only to support and arbitrate a peaceful society between free people who are ultimately responsible for their own fates.

… to provide National Defense – Cultural pressure to participate in the Uantiri Militia is great. Just as it is each homeowner’s duty to protect their homestead from both crime and invasion; so too are the national borders everyone’s homestead deserving everyone’s participation in defense. Though the Uantiri Government relies on the individual citizens to be trained and armed in the defense of home soil, it cannot expect its citizens to spend the resources necessary to coordinate such efforts abroad in a situation where such action would be necessary. Thus, it is Uantir’s responsibility to organize and maintain a volunteer expeditionary defense force to provide for the common defense externally. If the government cannot defend itself against other governments, it risks becoming a mere vassal to another government, subject to that other government's political system and laws. This includes foreign intelligence gathering, as well as counter-intelligence, without which we leave ourselves just as vulnerable to other nations. If Uantir does nothing else, it do these things, or else it is pointless.