Government and the Collective Good

Doesn't government exist for the benefit of the collective good? What percentage of our annual city, county, and state budgets actually benefit the majority of citizens? I can't drive a mile in Los Angeles without hitting an axle-jarring pothole. Our freeways are clogged to the point of absurdity, even when gas prices are kissing three bucks a gallon. Our electrical infrastructure is ancient (my office in the Westside has had two day-long power outages in the past 6 months). Our libraries are decrepit and our firehouses are falling down. And yet, I pay 8.5% sales tax on every purchase I make and I'm paying $1,000 a month in property taxes. This doesn't even take into consideration the state income tax that is ripped from every paycheck that I work 60 hours a week (or more!) to earn.

I am quite certain that this is not what Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the other founding fathers had in mind when they guided our nation's development some 230 years ago. We need leaders today in our government who understand the fundamentals which support "the collective good" and who can strip away the BS, the pork and the pandering to allow the funds to flow where they should. Unfortunately, today we have politicians who merely seek reelection and lifetime activity funded by the taxpayers.

I wish I could provide a solution, but today all I can offer is a rant.