What role do you think the government should play in the economy?

[Trolololol]

What do you think and why? I personally think that government should just be dealing with externalities, common goods, and regulations. (ex building schools, roads, pollution regulations ect....) This is a major topic I just want to see other peoples opinions.

[okiknowit]

If it can protect its citizens better than it has, it has to try.

[George S]

I am a true liberal (see below) so I favor the least possible interference from government.

Government has little ability to protect citizens beyond ordering and administrating military forces, courts and police, and possibly administer public projects if they don't do it in the self-serving and wasteful way they typically do. Police and courts exist so the friends and relatives of the victims don't arm, band together, and find their own "justice" as they typically do when police and courts are not available.

Citizens must always protect themselves. They first face criminals and other opportunists and so must defend themselves against those. They might also need to defend themselves against their own governments when those become abusive opportunists. The expectation they usually do is why the anti-Federalists registered citizens' right to military weapons particularly for keeping government under their control. That is what was intended regardless of lies from self-serving opportunists, even if they include the Supreme Court.

True liberalism advocates: individual freedom, weak government, and free markets. Conservatism advocates: moral responsibility, strong government, and protected markets. Progressives advocate: social concern, omniscient government, and controlled markets. Socialism advocates: social responsibility, omnipresent government, and collective markets.

[Michael D]

It was never intended to involve itself in the market place like it has. Ever. We are so far from what the Founders intended I'm very afraid we can not get back. Roads, yes. The tax that is collected on every gallon of gas and diesel that is called "Road use tax" was put into place and was intended to be used to maintain our infrastructure. The whole We have to fix our infrastructure with stimulus money is a complete lie. Where is the road use tax money going? Oh and the government is bound by the Constitution to protect our borders. Schools and education? NO.