There will always be legitimate debate about the role of government and the extent of its intervention in our lives and the economy. Instead I will talk about delivering at the lowest cost the quantity and quality of services the democratic process has determined to be appropriate. There should be little debate about that. The Moral Imperative Government has a moral imperative to spend no more than necessary to produce the required quantity and quality of services. It is very fundamental.
Government is supposed to be the servant of the people.
The money that people earn belongs to the people first, not to government. Moreover, there is a fiscal imperative for spending no more than necessary. Governments throughout the world face a very grim fiscal future. In the United States, for example, the Congressional Bipartisan Commission on Tax and Entitlement Reform reports that by 2012 federal revenues be sufficient to cover only entitlements and interest on the national debt. There will be no revenues for discretionary spending, including defense.