The Government MUST be involved.

The debate over the role of government in our personal lives is currently essential in the success of our nation's economy. In order to assess what we should really do about this issue, we have to look at our history. 

This debate has been going on for hundreds of years; it goes back to the debate between Alexander Hamilton who believed in a strong central government that is involved in people's lives, and Thomas Jefferson who believed in personal rights and that the government should not get involved. 

For quite a while our nation had a government that supported Jeffersonian ideals, the general public believed it was not the government's place to step in to their daily lives in order to help. This mindset changed around 1929 when The Great Depression slapped America in the face. As with any slap, America was woken up. Can our government actually help us? Do they need to get involved? Is it possible to recover without their interference? These were some of the questions being asked; but what other evidence did the people need? President Herbert Hoover had already prooven that passively watching a nation suffer was not going to allow the economy to recover. This issue was bigger than the people; they could not simply repair the nation on their own. The government NEEDED to get involved.

President Roosevelt recognized the problems of the nation and stepped up to the plate. FDR created the New Deal which made many government programs such as the FDIC,the SEC and the Social Security System. These were obviously helpful as they are still around and active today. Although not all of FDR's programs helped the nation, at least he saw the issues facing the people and tried to help. With FDR's presidency came a whole new era in America's society and government. An era in which the government is not simply a passive organization "by the people"; rather the government is an active organization "For the people".

So looking at our history, economically, how much should the government be involved today?

Currently our nation is facing many economic struggles, similar to, but not quite as dire as the Great Depression. So how can we learn from our history?

The main thing we need to take away from FDR's New Deal policies and the effects they had, is that there are always going to be unintended consequences from government interference, but we should not let them get in our way. The government's involvement is completely necessary in order for this nation to thrive. 

The Obama administration is doing many things to try to pull the nation out of this economic hole such as creating jobs and lowering specific taxes. Many of these reforms take place in the schools, on the highways, and in big business, but what we really need is a completely new field. 

If I were Obama, I would invest in alternative energy technology. This would not only create jobs for many Americans (scientists, engineers, construction workers, etc.) but it would also put money into an innovative field that is only growing in necessity. Oil is not going to be around forever, and the sooner we can transition into alternative sources, the less dependent we will be on foreign oil sources, which would allow our economy to grow.

Considering our history in the Great Depression, and our current economic situation, the government of the United States needs to be very much involved in our daily lives.