Government Role Debate

Comments debate the purpose and responsibilities of government, particularly whether it should handle societal issues like infrastructure, housing, health, and regulation that private companies cannot or will not address.

📉 Falling 0.4x Politics & Society
4,498
Comments
20
Years Active
5
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#5230
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Activity Over Time

2007
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Keywords

COVID U.S government job governments governance liability suffering constituents regulation government does trust

Sample Comments

xboxnolifes • May 26, 2024 • View on HN

No, it's what governments are for.

paulcole • Apr 11, 2023 • View on HN

I tend to think that's the point of having a government.Edit: While I appreciate the downvotes, can someone tell me why my thinking is wrong?

ivan_gammel • Jan 29, 2017 • View on HN

It's indeed hard, but it's exactly one of the purposes the government exists for. It's their job which they have to do to justify their existence. You cannot blame any private for-profit organization for not taking the government's job and spending its money for something else.

int_19h • May 11, 2025 • View on HN

That's what governments are (supposed to be) for.

rayiner • Sep 10, 2013 • View on HN

It is pretty much the purpose of governments to be able to do things that private companies cannot do.

nulltype • Jun 11, 2015 • View on HN

Why should the government be doing it?

poly88 • Feb 12, 2014 • View on HN

It's pretty sad that you and others have been indoctrinated into thinking that only government can provide those things.

watwut • Dec 27, 2021 • View on HN

Government being involved in issues like this is the point of government.

minikites • Aug 18, 2018 • View on HN

I agree, this is a core reason we have a government.

anigbrowl • May 10, 2009 • View on HN

this is a naive viewpoint. government is not necessarily an 'other' which impinges on us; rather, it's an organization to which people can outsource the largest scale tasks, such as infrastructure or military defense. It would be nice if all commercial exchanges were mutually beneficial, but they're not.