Things I Tell My Wife by Matt Knutson

“I’m dreaming of a world where the government works to create more solutions instead of causing more problems,” I told my wife as I lamented recent news. As our nation continues to double down on a public relations nightmare, I couldn’t help but contemplate just what the role of government should be. That seems to be at the very root of why some of my friends and family voted for their preferred candidate last November, and I wonder if because there is such lack of clarity, our elected officials find it hard to best represent us.

My initial instinct is to say that the government exists to help people. For those of you who have seen the television show Parks and Recreation, you could say this viewpoint is similar to Amy Poehler’s character, Leslie Knope’s viewpoint. Being involved in my community means I’ve gotten to know a lot of nonprofit organizations working hard to help lift people out of poverty. I’ve seen some incredible programs that have transformed a family suffering from homelessness and gotten them to a place where homeownership is a reality. I’ve seen children’s lives changed because they were connected to positive role models and quality early childhood education, putting them on a previously unthinkable path towards high school graduation and successful employment. But I’ve also seen numerous children, parents and senior citizens turned away because programs were at capacity; there weren’t enough beds or school supplies or mentors. If these nonprofits and government assisted programs were fully funded, we’d have few people on the streets, a reduction in gang violence, more children in school and a much better picture for our future generations. I can’t help but think that maybe if people aren’t willing or able to donate to ensure these programs thrive, that maybe our government could step up and better fund a safety net for our most vulnerable. Or perhaps even a stronger ladder to help people out of whatever is holding them back. We’re living in an age where the impact of these programs is being clearly measured and easily reported, so I dream of us actually investing in this work as a city, county, state, or nation to ensure we have a country we’re proud of, one where the American dream is more attainable for people who aren’t in the majority.

One of the things I loved about Parks and Recreation was its balance between characters. Leslie Knope was always challenged by the practical Ron Swanson. On days like today, when I see so many problems being created by government officials, I imagine how liberating a small government would be. How often does one solution created by the government lead to another problem? I was recently reminded of a quote from President Ronald Reagan where he said the nine most terrifying words in the English language were, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Those cheeky words have a point. As much as I may dream of the government being able to step up and help people rise out of poverty, their track record for being truly beneficial isn’t always the best. You’ll find rules and regulations all over the place that make it hard for people to succeed. Plus, who is to say the government always knows what is best for you? When you elect someone to represent you, that person may win by an incredibly small margin. What could be favorable for 51 percent of the people could be disastrous for the 49 percent who voted for someone else. Let’s not even get into the ramifications when someone still wins an election but loses the popular vote by millions of votes.

I believe there is true value to both sides. How do these two pictures come together? Not easily, as we seem at odds today at most levels of our government. I think for me it means I want my government to do more to help people most in need, while at the same time having a smaller overall footprint on our lives. I want it to be that person that I know I can count on in a time of crisis to help me out, but I don’t want it be someone I’d hang out with every day because they might get a little annoying. True solutions are rarely easy to achieve, and they often take all of us coming together to create something worthwhile. Perhaps that’s all the clarity we need for today.

Matt Knutson is a communications specialist in Rochester.