In the article “Despite
Negativity, Americans Mixed on Ideal Role of Government”,
Frank Newport discusses American government and what
Americans think about their government. In this article Newport tries to answer
two simple questions; what is the role of the government, and how big should
our government be? What makes Newport’s article compelling and interesting is
that he avoids putting his personal opinions in it and he tries to stay as
objective as possible. He draws his supporting points for his assertions and
discussions from social research findings on what majority of Americans think
and feel.
Looking at this article we can see that people's perceptions
about the government are based on where they stand on the political spectrum.
For example, in this article the author writes that conservatives favor less
government on the other hand liberals favor a more robust government.
“There are clear philosophical
and ideological differences in views of the government that create the dynamic
tension that exists in any democratic system, with conservatives generally
favoring less government and liberals favoring more government”. He writes.
Now is it wrong that Americans
have different views as to how the government should operate? The answer is no.
In a democracy people are allowed to express their views as to how their
government should be run. If people feel like their present government is not
working as they had hoped when they voted it into power, the people are given
another chance to elect a different government that stand for their views. In
the long run, majority of Americans want a government that that protects its
citizens.
In my opinion I believe that
Government has to step in and help its citizens out. What is the role of a
government if it cannot help its citizens? For instance let us look at the
economic crisis that we experienced between 2006 and 2009. Many people lost
their jobs and homes. Now should we say the government should not have helped
any of those that lost their property during that period? As a progressive
society people that lost everything deserve to be assisted. We cannot allow having
a government that is not active.
