Good Government

Government is nothing more than the organization with the greatest force in a given population. The force can be physical or psychological, often a combination of the two. Organizations derive this force in a variety of manners, ranging from possessing the most fearsome weaponry, to relying on widespread belief in a dogma. The source of the force is irrelevant to the effects of the force on the people. So the question for a would-be government is how best to apply this force?

Most modern governments use this force for 'evil'. They systematically steal from their citizens, require adherence to an arbitrary set of laws, and punish disobedience. They murder and torture their citizens, rationalizing their acts as necessary for the safety of the public. They use their force to keep their people in fear, all in order to maintain their power and take advantage of their position.

It seems to me the government is in a unique position to try to make people happy. They could use their force to protect their people from tyranny. They could oppose 'evil', and help people find happiness. Instead of stealing from their citizens, governments could participate in a free market economy, using this income to (at the very least) protect the freedom of their people. If they made excess money, they could undertake any number of projects for the good of society. Provide free electricity, water, healthcare, etc, all for the good of the people. It's hard to imagine, but a good government would be more than tolerable.

Likely the reason there are no good governments is that organizations strong enough to become a government have little interest in the public good. Likewise, organizations interested in the public good rarely have the power to become the greatest force in a population, so they can’t overcome other ‘evil’ organizations.

*‘evil’ being defined as “making people unhappy”, or something along those lines.