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What Democrats Like Government To Do

What is the purpose of government? The public debate in America has once again turned to this all important question and for the first time in a long time, the country elected legislators last fall who adhere to a radically different view about the role of government than is the consensus. Most politicians-and voters-left and right agree that government should not only provide basic security but ensure a basic standard of living. Democrats favor more generous social provisions than their Republican counterparts but conservatives usually agree that government should extend a safety net to those who seem unable to fend for themselves.