Written by Lynda Ring Erickson | 27 February 2010

Over the course of a week, elected officials will hear a range of concerns from “government should be smaller” to “you need to do more” and including numerous comments about how “it” could have been done better.  As we move into this election year I encourage you to take a step back and think about why we have government.

There are a lot of ways to look at government.  One view is that government does the things that a community or society wants done, but since there is no profit there is no interest from the private sector.  This situation changes over time.  Thus we have seen solid waste (garbage) privatized, while train service and transit transition to government.  Privatization of law enforcement and prisons has been problematic, but is still an ongoing discussion.

Frankly speaking, the list of services is long and the resources are limited.  Regardless of the government—federal, state, county, city, school or special district—there are choices that our elected officials will be making.  Maybe more so, now that times are tough, but it is a reality even in good times.

My point is this: your government, whatever it is, will be determined by whom you elect.  When we vote as Democrats, we must make a thoughtful choice.  Popularity and leadership are different and we are best served by candidates who do not offer easy answers, promise all things to all people, or who offer only criticism.

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