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blog: anarchy: consider government benefits

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Colin 2022-05-18 00:01:14 -07:00
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content/blog/2022-05-06-DRAFT-book-review-anarchy-state-and-utopia.md
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@ -33,8 +33,9 @@ the State is something most of us are simply born into. we take it foregranted,
but why _does_ it exist? charitable takes first, uncharitable takes later in the article.
a common explanation is that the State accomplishes things which individuals alone cannot,
and that these things are generally good. national defense; providing consistent/uniform expectations around rights;
education; perhaps a social safety net;
and that these things are generally good. national defense; public goods/infrastructure/education;
providing consistent/uniform expectations around rights;
perhaps a social safety net;
maybe even harm-reduction via regulations around safety or medical treatments.
generously: it's a tool by which we overcome large-scale coordination problems.
@ -43,8 +44,27 @@ but *is it* broadly effective at overcoming coordination problems?
the irony is that US presidential approval has [averaged below 50%](https://news.gallup.com/poll/116677/presidential-approval-ratings-gallup-historical-statistics-trends.aspx) for two decades now.
the believe that the federal government will "do what is right" has sat [below 50%](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/05/17/public-trust-in-government-1958-2021/) _for fifty years_.
[since 2006](https://news.gallup.com/poll/244094/majority-say-third-party-needed.aspx) more American's than not believe neither of the big two parties do an adequate job of representing people, and that a third major party is needed.
if US democracy were broadly effective at overcoming coordination problems, then _surely_ it would enable these majority positions to coordinate at the very base level of its operation.
if US democracy were broadly effective at overcoming coordination problems, then it would be reasonable to expect that to apply to the very base level of its operation.
so what about the safety net role? in a polity _not_ experiencing population growth (most modern democracies),
social security is effectively just mandatory savings. without it, individuals who care to save _could_ save,
but they would be at a competitive disadvantage to those who choose not to save: rents would rise and eat into
the portion of income which would otherwise be dedicated to savings. this is an example of a government solution
to a coordination problem (whether you like the solution or not).
other notable components of the safety net include unemployment payments, food banks/food stamps
and government-subsidized healthcare.
of the public goods, K-12 education, parks, utilities and transportation infrastructure are largely
executed at the level of the city or state. though executed at these lower levels, funding
is to various degrees subsidized (via the federal government) by taxpayers of different locales.
the interstate highway system may the biggest example of infrastructure operated/maintained at the
state level but funded via the federal government.
and then there's national defense: this operates almost entirely at the federal level.
beyond goods/services, we move into the realm of law: the federal government recognizes certain
limits and bounds along which citizens can interact with each other. TODO: limits on violence; voluntary exchange; certifications/regulations (OSHA); drugs/bodily-autonomy; marriage; explain unions and relate them back to OSHA.
### Notes (TODO: delete)