President Bush vetoed an almost veto proof bill to expand children's health care recently. He is opposed to the 35 billion dollar price tag and more importantly he is opposed to government involvement in health care. This is no surprise. The free marketeers and supply siders and Ayn Rand types believe that the government is ineffective at providing services and that the private sector should.

Coincidentally up on the hill the president of Blackwater testified before a congressional committee. His company is providing services the military used to. They escort people around Iraq. They are part of the massive amount of contractors that now dwarfs the number of actual soldiers. There was a time, not long ago, when war profiteering was considered treasonous. He makes over a million a year.

This is an example of the neo-cons dream of privatization. Somehow they think that it's more effective to pay a private company thousands more per contractor than the average soldier. I'm still trying to figure out why our tax dollars are still being handed over in the form of no bid contracts to companies like Blackwater who have failed in previous contracts to live up to their end of the bargain. Let's remember they are in the business to make money. They have hired mercenaries form around the world, adding to the tensions in Iraq. This seems like money poorly spent.

Using private companies in this manner isn't cheaper and is less effective than more traditional means. Any reasonable person can see this. Using this private firm and others has not helped our image either. The actions of the contractors in Iraq have put a greater burden on our military. But the administration also used them for Hurricane Katrina relief in New Orleans. They plan on using them for other natural disasters. Surely our tax dollars could be spent more effectively than hiring mercenaries. Certainly the government has served it's people better in the past by taking care of business in house.

Privatization and relaxed regulations on industry are not always in the public's interest. Certain things are better managed by all of us versus farming the work out at a higher cost. There is a fear that has been beat into us by corporatists. That government is bad. Anything it does only keeps industry from creating a better society. Regulations on corporations and trade are bad for the economy. So we have slowly adopted this idea that the government is incapable of doing anything better than the private sector. The profit motive out weighs the public's interest and that doesn't seem morally right.

Capitalism left unchecked does not always benefit the consumer. Nor are corporations always virtuous. It makes sense to allow government to offer certain functions to the commons and to protect the citizens from abuse . Health care for kids for example. Education, infrastructure and job creation. Reagan used to joke that government was the problem not the solution but it really depends on how we the people use it. It's obvious that if the people running government think it's evil they don't use it very well.

But recovering the reasonable conclusion that the government isn't the enemy proves difficult. It's easy for people to ignore it when they believe it is hopelessly corrupt. What they don't realize is that if it really is, it's largely in part because they ignore it. Government isn't to be feared or loathed. It's to be used. It involves participation. There are elements of our daily lives better served by functions handled by the government. If used properly everyone benefits. Some things that benefit the public shouldn't be privatized.