I would like to add that governments don't just improve the lot of the poor; they improve the lot of all of us.
They provide things we rely on every day and take for granted, like roads, public (in the U.S. sense of the word) education, and the rule of law which makes it possible for us to accumulate wealth without having to fear that it will be stolen from us.
The U.S. government funded much of the research that invented the technology that made the internet possible. The technology underlying the internet came from ARPANET, which was funded by the Department of Defense. The first commercially successful web browser, Mosaic, was funded by the Al Gore Computing and Communication Act. Largely as a result of this government funding, Bill Gates, Sergey Brin, and Meg Whitman are fabulously wealthy, and you and I can order books and CDs from the comfort of our homes.
no subject
I would like to add that governments don't just improve the lot of the poor; they improve the lot of all of us.
They provide things we rely on every day and take for granted, like roads, public (in the U.S. sense of the word) education, and the rule of law which makes it possible for us to accumulate wealth without having to fear that it will be stolen from us.
The U.S. government funded much of the research that invented the technology that made the internet possible. The technology underlying the internet came from ARPANET, which was funded by the Department of Defense. The first commercially successful web browser, Mosaic, was funded by the Al Gore Computing and Communication Act. Largely as a result of this government funding, Bill Gates, Sergey Brin, and Meg Whitman are fabulously wealthy, and you and I can order books and CDs from the comfort of our homes.