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The Four Functions Of Government In The United States

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Every government in the world has basic functions that they provide for their citizens. “The preamble, to the constitution, alludes to two basic kinds of services that cannot easily be accomplished without government, and their provision accounts for two functions of every government of the world.” (Maltese 11) The two functions are providing and maintaining order and safety, and providing public goods, such as national defense. Governments can also provide any functions that they see fit to help promote the general welfare of their citizens. These government functions are designed to keep countries from becoming too chaotic, while still not completely controlling the people. While these are the main functions that governments perform they can do many other things, and often once a government is in place, the people will want to be provided with other services. However there are also people who believe …show more content…

One example of a public good is national defense, which provides protection for everyone in the country. “It is considered impractical for individuals to defend themselves more than partially because aggressors may bring superior force to bear, thus making it necessary for the defender, too, to secure the help of others.” (Cooley) Because of this, the government provides defence as a public good. In the United States, for example, we have many sections of national defence. There is the army, marine corps, navy, air force, national guard, and coast guard, which all play vital roles in protecting our country. Another important public good is providing basic medical research. The United States funds research for many diseases and disorders, such as cancer research, and immunization research, and works to make them readily available to all those who need them. These are two of the many public goods the governments

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