From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!npoiv!hou5f!ariel!houti!trc
Newsgroups: net.politics
Title: Reason for a government
Article-I.D.: houti.229
Posted: Thu Mar 10 18:32:22 1983
Received: Fri Mar 11 06:03:59 1983


The fundamental purpose for a government is to insure the rational
use of force.  This is needed because not everyone is rational all
the time, and sometimes even rational people are unable to agree.
A government serves an enforcing and arbitrating role -
in short, it insures justice and protects freedoms.

A government can support an economic system by enforcing contracts in 
an even-handed manner and by settling disputes.  Not all governments
limit themselves to this - some (most) interfere greatly with the
economic system.  Since this goes generally contradicts the purpose
of government, it is wrong.  (It is a contradiction because it causes
the government to be biased, and also because frequently individual
rights are run over in the process.)