The Meaning Of Government

First let's define what "meaning" is and how it will be applied to this debate. The meaning of government is the core foundation or believe to why we believe government exists and why humans decided to build and live under the concept of a government. It will also pertain to what we believe governments goal should be and what goals governments should be attempting to accomplish, For example striving for social good for it's citizens or recognizing individual rights and staying out of the lives of citizens. Now onto my actual argument. Government since it's creation has always been about progress and improving the lives of people. When humans first came together and established communities it was for the benefit of everyone. Together our chances of survival went up and so did the standard of living for ancient humanity. Together we developed technology, Language, Agricultural techniques, All which would not have been been possible without humans recognizing the need to come together. I feel like this principal, Of needing to strive for the common good is the true meaning government (no matter how far current examples of government might have strayed from this principal). This leads to my argument, That government at it's core should always be striving for progress and the equality of outcomes for citizens. My first main point is the fact that this principal of equality of outcomes is the most beneficial to the most amount of people while still being moral and fair. To make this clear I am not arguing for utilitarianism, For utilitarianism leads to the justification of immoral actions. I'm arguing more for a version of what John Rawls would call an equal distribution of justice. I believe morals and ethics should still have a place in government, In which are not relative or subjective instead apply to humanity as a whole. With this in mind, Governments who are pursuing equality of outcomes for citizens, Both socially and economically, Are in the best position to help the most amount of people in a positive way. This can be illustrated best by the fact that countries with a more equal distribution of wealth score better in almost every societal measure. For example, Societal equality has been found to be linked to better average health in a society (Agency for Health care Research and Quality, 2015). Higher rates of inequality has also been found to negatively affect the happiness of a society (Shigehiro Oishi and Selin Kesebir, University of Virginia, 2015). Happiness is a key indicator when trying to examine the quality of a society and essentially how successful that society is. Counties that marked the highest in happiness are all countries with governments who better follow the meaning of government I laid out to be the truth. My second point will be the fact that governments who follow a principle of equality of outcomes have a much better chance of lowering inequality then governments who only attempt to guaranteed equality of opportunity. Many follow the belief that government should only attempt to level the playing field in a sense, And allow everyone an equal opportunity to be successful. This however has proven to be unsuccessful at eliminating inequality, Especially inequality from a economic point of view. Policies that strive to only open up opportunities for everyone are no doubt well intentions and successful in some ways, But such policies fail to recognize the fact that arbitrary factors exist that limit individuals. Such arbitrary factors include race, Where you were born, Sex, If you were born to a wealth or poor family, These factors affect individuals ability to be successful or not successful in a society. This can be illustrated by the fact that the United States while has increased its number of policies that encourage equality of opportunity, Little progress has been made in eliminating wealth inequality between whites and other ethnicities (Rakesh Kochhar and Anthony Cilluffo, Pew Research Center, 2017). This inequality has existed for decades yet no matter how many policies that are adapted that encourage opportunity, This inequality has existed. It wasn't till affirmative action was put into place, Which was a policy that fought for equality of outcome, Did the United States see a change in that trend. Under affirmative action policies, The rate of income inequality between whites, Blacks and hispanics went down. This was linked to more members of minority groups being able to attend high education was lead to on average higher annual income. Governments that attempt to guarantee positive outcomes for its citizens have been proven to be more effective in limiting inequality which leads to a host of benefits for citizens. These two arguments presented, One of the greatest good and the other of being the most effective at limiting inequality, Helps prove why a government which at it's core strives for societal progress and equality of outcome, Follows the true meaning of government.