During his January 20, 1981 inaugural address, Ronald Regan famously said, “… government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” In fairness to Mr. Reagan, that oft-quoted phrase was prefaced with, “In this current crisis…” And in fact, just a few sentences later he added, “All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden.”[1]
But soundbites (and Republicans) being what they are, the abbreviated version today prevails. (Similarly, the lobby of the NRA headquarters — I am told having never visited — offers a proprietary version of the Second Amendment.)
Two events of the preceding week (or more precisely, one event and two reactions to a second event) prompted me to reflect on Reagan’s words, and to wonder why so many in our society do view government as the problem.
Event #1, Mars Landing
On Thursday, February 18, 2021, at just a few minutes before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the United States landed an SUV-sized Mars Perseverance rover near an ancient river delta in the Jezero Crater on the surface of Planet Mars, 300 million miles away from Earth.[2] But I should be more explicit, so let me rephrase. On Thursday, February 18, 2021, at just a few minutes before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the United States GOVERNMENT landed an SUV-sized Mars Perseverance rover near an ancient river delta in the Jezero Crater on the surface of Planet Mars, 300 million miles away from Earth.
I watched the landing glued to the TV alongside my wife and our daughter. I felt genuinely proud of my country for the first time in more than four years. I also took notice of the diversity in the NASA / JPL control room — men and women, different ethnicities. I’m willing to bet there was even a gay person or two there. I wonder how many white nationalists? (Hint, these jobs require college degrees and an understanding of science.) But I digress….
The U.S. government is by no means even remotely close to perfect. After all, it is populated by men and women who themselves are highly imperfect and fallible. And the government certainly should never be looked to as the solution to all — or even most — our problems. But in many ways, the government is uniquely positioned to address certain problems and issues that other entities simply cannot. It has colossal scale and reach, access to massive financial resources, and employs nearly three-million individuals. And perhaps most importantly, it is not driven by profit motive or ROI. Rather, it is in principle driven to “establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty.” The government will accept levels of risk the private sector simply will not. Of course, there will be failures, just as there are in many high-risk undertakings.
But there will also be huge wins that deliver tremendous benefit to the people and also to the private sector. Here is a partial list of technological and medical breakthroughs initiated and/or funded by Uncle Sam: Doppler radar, influenza vaccine, MRIs, supercomputers, microchips, LED lights, 3D seismic imaging, barcodes, reverse auctions, wind turbines, Hep B vaccine, AZT, human genome sequencing, GPS, the internet, touch screens, modern limb prosthetics.[3] R&D spending at NASA has contributed to the development and commercialization water filters, memory foam, the computer mouse, cell phone cameras, air purifiers, satellite communication, fire fighter gear, buoy life rafts, and search & rescue tracking systems.
Show me any corporation with a comparable track record.
Event #2, Texas Winter Storm and the Reactions
Last week, what would have previously been thought of as a once-in-a-generation winter storm walloped Texas, bringing sub-freezing temperatures that took down much of the Texas power grid. Millions of Texans were without electricity, heat, clean water, any water, or functional sewer systems. (Many still are. Here are groups providing relief.)
Like many others, I learned last week that Texas operates its own power grid, ERCOT, which is run by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. ERCOT is independent of our eastern and western national grids. The national networks cannot deliver power to Texas. I am not familiar with ERCOT’s evolution, but I’d be willing to wager the desire to avoid federal regulation and the ability of someone or something to extract profits played at least some role.
Rather than recognize that Texas needs to figure out how to winterize its energy infrastructure, Governor Greg Abbott (R) reacted to the disaster by blaming wind turbines and the Green New Deal. Other Republican officials and the alternative fact industry quickly followed suit. But according to CBS News, wind and solar combined account for only 10% of Texas energy production, and “both ERCOT and energy analysts say natural gas … holds most of the blame for the outages.”[4] And the Green New Deal — well, it does not even exist.
And while Abbott’s accusations and responsibility avoidance tactics are certainly reprehensible, they do not even hold a candle to the words of the now former mayor of Colorado City, TX, Tim Boyd (R). “No one owes you or your family anything; nor is it the local government’s responsibility to support you during trying times like this! Sink or swim, it’s your choice! The City and County, along with power providers or any other service owes you NOTHING! I’m sick and tired of people looking for a damn hand out!” he wrote to his city’s residents on Facebook. Realizing his words just might be misinterpreted, he subsequently sought to clarify. “I was only making the statement that those folks that are too lazy to get up and fend for themselves but are capable should not be dealt a handout.”[5]
The Juxtaposition
When pursuing science and prioritizing the needs of the people, government can achieve great things. Government can very much be part of the solution. Let’s all hope President Biden demonstrates this as he attempts to vaccinate the nation. But when elected officials attempt to shield themselves by lying and misdirecting, refusing to acknowledge real issues, denigrating their constituents, and claiming government does not have a duty to its citizens, such officials discredit government so severely that government is no longer viewed as part of the solution.
It seems Ronnie may well have been correct. When Republicans lead, “government is the problem.”
