Anti-Corruption Party

Government can be made to solve problems, not create them

Ever since the decline of FDR style politics, the US has found its government getting closer and closer to a libertarian style hellscape. We at the Anti-Corruption Party believe that government can and should solve problems for its citizens. This obsession with free markets as the answer for everything, is unnecessarily handcuffing the government. It is easiest if we just break it down into chunks.

1. The government exists to protect citizens. Most on the extreme right only see this as physical safety, we disagree. We believe that the government also has a role to play in safeguarding many other aspects of a person’s wellbeing. Furthermore, the government should be smart enough to see the dangers ahead of time and act preemptively with things like regulation, inspection, and oversight. Are there some overzealous regulations that need revision… sure. However, the overwhelming need for good, common sense, regulations cannot be overstated. This includes exercising anti-trust powers on bad actors.

2. The government has a duty to be an investor in the public good. Like it or not, the free market cannot be allowed to decide everything. Especially when there will be zero return on investment. Businesses and markets have their place, but they will never put their money into something that has a 0% chance of making a profit. Businessification of every aspect of life is not the answer. The government is an extension and tool of the public, it should work for we the people, not just they the corporations.

3. As an extension of the public, the government also has a role to play in understanding our universe and finding hard truths. Science, technology, space exploration, medicine, and so many more aspects of our daily lives can and have been made better with government help. And when we make these breakthroughs as a society, we should not also foot the bill for the profit maximization of some company. We have already paid.

There are those that will disagree with most of this writing. They think that government is too big and the free market will take care of it all. Sorry, but no. We don’t want a private FAA, SSA, NIH, FDA, and countless other important agencies. For Christ’s sake, during the pandemic, we ran out of baby formula and had to compel companies to make more. Government needs to work for people, not just businesses and donors. It is OUR government. Its size is OUR choice. It is not the choice of some billionaire funded think tank. Make it work for us, and make it efficient.