Persusive Government Essay

Government's Role in Society

         The government is very important and has a lot of control in today's society and it is needed for society to thrive. However, the government should stay to only a couple of roles.  The government's role in society should be maintaining national defense, serving justice appropriately, and managing the economy, they should not take complete control over the public. These roles help form a balanced society.

         One of the major roles of government is national defense. It is in charge of keeping the United States citizens safe from outside threats. Some people think that national defense and the United States military is a waste of money. These people are wrong because stated in the Bill of Rights, in the second amendment, is "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state" (Bill of Rights 21). Even the Bill of Rights says a military is needed in order to keep the country safe and protected. In the article, How the U.S. Government is Organized, it states "The president is the head of state, leader of the federal government, and commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces" (U.S Government 3). The president is in charge of what happens to the United States' military. Ergo, he can determine when they are needed and aren't needed.

         Another role of the government is to serve justice appropriately to the citizens. In the article, The Role of Government in Modern US Society: What Would Adam Smith Say?," it also states one of the roles of government is, "the administration of justice" (Lipford 2). In Harrison Bergeron, Harrison broke out of his handicaps and "Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, came into the studio with a double-barreled ten-gauge shotgun. She fired twice and the Emperor and the Empress were dead before they hit the floor" (Vonnegut 15). That is a good example of what the government should not be able to do. Also, in the sixth amendment, of the Bill of Rights, it says, "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an imperial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witness against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense" (Bill of Rights 15). The sixth amendment is saying the convicted have the right to know what they did, and need to be informed of the details of their case.  This role is important because without it, we could have innocent people in jail, and guilty people walking around on the streets. Also, assures that certain classes of people get the same treatment of a lower class, creating a fair chance.

         Finally, the economy is another job of the government. If the economy goes out of control, so does the country. An example of this happening is during the Great Depression. The government made some wrong moves, sending the stock market crashing. Technically, the stock market crash didn't start the Great Depression, it signaled the great depression. Either way, it is not healthy for society. An example of this is in the Government's Role in the Economy, "the federal government guides the overall pace of economic activity, attempting to maintain steady growth, high levels of employment, and price stability." (Department of State, 2). This also means they can set the amount people pay for taxes. This right is stated in the sixteenth amendment of the Bill of Rights. However, in the article, The Role of Government in Modern U.S. Society: What Would Adam Smith Say?, the spending's of government have been on the wrong things. The article states, "Social spending is rapidly replacing expenditures on traditional government functions..." This kind of spending can lead to "higher taxes, larger deficits, or dramatic cuts in other government programs." (Lipford, 8). This role is necessary because if the economy crashes, the country could have another incident like the Great Depression. This role also allows the government spending to be for the right things, like the cleanliness of cities and towns.

         The government should not; however, take complete control of their citizens. From The Lottery, Harrison Bergeron, and The Pedestrian; it is shown that it is not a healthy environment. In The Lottery, there was a lack of government. This affected the citizens because they relied on a tradition to keep their corn plentiful. The tradition was to sacrifice one member of their town. This tradition breaks the sixth (the right to a trial) and the eighth (cruel and unusual punishment) amendments. The story also gives the people too much input on what they do. In Harrison Bergeron, the government put handicaps on its citizens to make them equal. These handicaps allowed short term thoughts and limited their natural abilities. These actions break the first amendment and give the government more power than its citizens. Finally, in The Pedestrian, the government uses technology to keep their citizens in line. They are potentially using it to brainwash their population. This also breaks the first amendment. The government needs to have some control over the people but not too much, like in Harrison Bergeron and The Pedestrian.

         The government's role in society should be keeping the national defense in order, providing necessary justice, and managing the economy; they should not take complete control over their citizens. These are important because they keep the country safe, keep the appropriate people in the appropriate places, cling to the country's sturdiness, and maintain the government's correct responsibilities. With these actions the government can abide by the Bill of Rights and potentially keep the United States from hard times.

Work Cited

Bradbury, Ray. The Pedestrian. 1951. Print.

"How the U.S. Economy Works." About. US Department of State, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. 1948. Print.

Lipford, Jody. "The Role of Government in Modern Society: What would Adam Smith?". Washington Examiner 10 December 2007: Print.

"National Archives and Records Administration." National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Rand, Ayn. The Nature of Government. 1963. Print.

"U.S. Federal Government." USA.gov: The U.S. Government's Official Web Portal. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.

Vonnegut, Kurt. Harrison Bergeron. 1961. Print.