*controversy *wtf *history

Adding video to channels (Controversy, History, Wtf) - requested by ant.

controversy ? Reallly?

Government is a failure.

*nochannel

Nope. It's not wtf, it's not history and there isn't really anything controversial here.

*Politics
*talks
*money
*learn

And @bobknight33 clearly didn't watch the video. The whole point is that government is NOT a failure. The vast majority of government works well and quietly goes about its business unnoticed. It's when government doesn't work that we notice it.

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I dunno. I'd say the vast majority of government works adequately, at least at first, but over time that tends to slip as people get more and more apathetic about closely scrutinizing it.

I'd say the video is saying precisely that -- things tend to go to hell, get wasteful, and people get disillusioned with government in general (like bobknight33) when government actions aren't continuously and fairly assessed.

You said that people notice it when government doesn't work. I'd say that Trump's rise, and the division in the Democrat party / support for Bernie Sanders are pretty strong bits of evidence suggesting that a LOT of people are noticing that the government isn't working the way they want it to...

Oh, the government in the US is fucked, undoubtedly.

It needs major change. Most other countries are not that bad though.

Um, I don't think that was Bob's or Milkman's point. And the point is all that matters because the fact that America is fucked up is irrelevant. Just as saying country A is okay so all government will not fall into the trap.

Fact is EVERY government since the start of mankind has fallen into this trap. Some take longer than others, and there are insulating features (such as nations that are sheltered by natural terrian, those with rich resources, those with low populations, and those that have never had a TRULY meaningful impact on the world but just kinda get by.)

America's problems are myriad but I think it's because they won too much in the last century and are about to fall, as any great boxer has.

Edit added later:

And no, most other governments are not. Russia, China, North Korea, many South American nations, Mexico, the Middle East, all those examples are not minor. Now you could say "many" governments.

There's a difference between the implementation of government and the concept of governence.

I will happily concede that every government in the world has flaws, because people are greedy or stupid or incompetent or coereced/ threatened by other greedy stupid people or sometimes with the best will in the world and all the competency to go with it, they just make mistakes.

But this is true of every human institution/concept. Even science can and does get misrepresented or misused.

That doesn't mean we throw out the concept.

One day, we may arrive at some kind of Iain M. Banks Culture-esque post-scarcity utopia where we no longer need government and the day to day running of society is taken care of benevolent AIs that devote a billionth of their processing power to taking care of the mundanity of life.

But right now, we need government. If there are problems with it, they should be fixed.