More Government, Please
Meningitis outbreak kills 14 in six states and makes a strong case for stronger federal regulatory oversight.  Here is one of many types of threats where leaving it to the states puts Americans at risk, not because states are incompetent, but because effective regulatory oversight requires both the geographic reach and the resources of the federal government.

Less Violence Against Women, Please

Government regulation is us, you and I, using our government, expecting our representatives to hold those who try to make up their own rules accountable.  Government regulation keeps our food and drugs safe.  And our government is the tool we use to enforce the law, protect property rights, and protect individual rights like voting and freedom of speech. 

Where government is weak, we see in today’s news that a 14 year old Pakistani girl was shot by the Taliban for writing a blog.  According to Fox News,

“The shooting of Malala Yousufzai along with two classmates while they were on their way home from school Tuesday horrified people in Pakistan and internationally. It has been followed by an outpouring of support for a girl who earned the enmity of the Taliban for publicizing their acts and speaking about the importance of education for girls.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the shooting, saying that the girl was promoting "Western thinking." Late on Thursday, a spokesman for one of the group's branches in the country's north decided two months ago to kill Yousufzai in a carefully planned attack after her family ignored repeated warnings.

 

The extremist religious right in Pakistan intentionally targeted this 14 year old girl because she was blogging about what her life was like in a world dominated by the religious right’s patriarchal perspective on women’s rights.  A stronger government speaking for all citizens, men and women, and able to hold those unwilling to respect our social contract accountable for the harms they do...still a good idea.