And not just a civilized society — a productive one, too. Much of what we do via government contributes vitally to economic growth and ef?ciency. Conservative views of public spending typically portray it entirely as a drain on wealth. But public expenditures on education, science and technology, health, and many programs for children are critical forms of investment, with a demonstrable history of long-term payoffs.

Government also contributes to our wealth in other ways. Environmental regulation, for example, helps to preserve our “natural capital,” elevating long-term interests in a sustainable future over short-term gains. Financial regulation reduces the likelihood of old-fashioned panics, raises con?dence in the markets, and increases the ef?ciency of capital allocation. Overall government spending plays a countercyclical role, helping to prevent downturns from becoming depressions.

Beyond these economic payoffs, government enables the public to purchase some goods unavailable in any market. As consumers, we are concerned with no one’s bene?t but our own. That’s a kind of freedom, but a society with only that freedom wouldn’t be free — nor would it survive. A free people, acting together, must have some means of placing decisions outside the market to provide public goods and to avoid making all the conditions of life depend on individual economic capacities. –Paul Starr, co-editor, The American Prospect