Since WWII and the nightmare that was Stalinist Communism, the word “socialism” has been a feared word. Associated with the extremist ideologies that led to a massive loss of lives in Russia, the word has been demonized in movements like the red scare and has led to an extreme push for capitalism — to the extent of another extreme. The thing is, all forms of government look good on paper, and in reality no one system alone will work for humans, who are messy, complicated individuals trying to coexist. Capitalism and socialism are not exceptions to this rule.
There comes a problem when Americans become anti-something without knowing what they’re talking about. Socialism, which is centered around government aid, is one of those things, as there are many government programs that Americans take for granted. They oftentimes don’t know that these programs they rely on are technically socialist ideas. Before demonizing socialism, it’s important to realize that government aid helps a lot of people. So here are several public services everyday Americans of different backgrounds — even different political beliefs — rely on and that we should be grateful for.
Travel Assets
One of the best benefits of public services are your everyday travel. The roads you drive on are not privatized; in fact they are paid for by taxes and put together by the government. Similarly, public transportation (which is relied upon by cities from Salt Lake to NYC) also is a government service. In places with bigger populations and higher costs of living, it’s a current necessity.
The more our society goes toward an environmental mindset, the less people will be buying cars. Now, not only is it convenient, but public transportation has some enormous environmental benefits as well. In an infographic put together by Ohio University, it was reported that public transportation eliminates 37 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. This government service isn’t just convenient, but it’s helping to save the world.
Mail Delivery
Postal workers are the reason you effectively receive your bills, letters, and packages so easily. Now, it’s understandable that you can now receive most of these things electronically. But packages have to come from somewhere, and keeping the government involved may be the best way to keep companies like UPS or FedEx from gaining bigger monopolies. Right now, there are benefits to using all three for different types of mail.
Despite the electronic revolution that’s come with internet technology, mail isn’t dead by any means. Mail services are still necessary, and mail carriers are hard working. The fact that it’s a government job with government benefits doesn’t take away from that. It offers a comfortable pay in exchange for respectable work and gets naysayers what’s being sent to them.
Education
Do you really want kids not able to get an education because their parents can’t afford it? The benefit of public education is it gives every kid a more equal playing field. Believe it or not, this encourages hard work, as it gives poor children a competing chance with rich children who may have access to better education. Of course, there are problems with public education (especially in impoverished areas), which is why we need educators who care about making a difference in our youth’s future and can make a difference in their lives. But public education is important if we truly believe in “equal opportunity” as we say we do in America.
Additional education can be found at public libraries, which Americans take for granted all the time. Free education is a good thing and goes beyond the classroom, and in today’s internet age reading a book can help build discipline. Libraries are still great for finding public records, and the truth is that the public still finds a lot of importance in libraries. Without public education, our society would be much less intelligent and wouldn’t be improving. Rather, inequality would continue.
Safety
There is a lot of debate over how law enforcement should be conducted right now with the public wake-up call to institutional racism and the negative effects of profiling. These conversations are justified, with constant reports coming in about abuse of power by those hired to protect and serve. However, society still does well with structure, and law enforcement as a concept is still important.
Despite the problems with the police force as is, the government using its power to keep the peace is not unreasonable. Even conservatives who are generally opposed to government intervention recognize this. The extent to which this power is given is another conversation, albeit a very important one. Most people recognize government keeps order though. With violent crimes on the rise, we can’t take safety for granted.
Do you see the necessities of government action in a society? Do you have a rebuttal? If so, how do you see the role of government helping people? Let us know in the comments below!
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