blog: anarchy: consider government benefits

content/blog/2022-05-06-DRAFT-book-review-anarchy-state-and-utopia.md

@@ -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;
+and that these things are generally good. national defense; public goods/infrastructure/education;
-education; perhaps a social safety net;
+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)