What do you think should be the role of government? What values guides your choice?

[Whateverist]

The government should be responsive to the people governed.  I don't want to use government to micro-manage people's behaviors but I do want to see government utilized for important tasks.  Establishing a level playing field for business doesn't go nearly far enough.  It isn't that I want to impose an equal standard of wealth on everyone, but I would like to see government used to maintain an acceptable minimum level of wealth.  To that end, I'd like to make taxes unavoidable and extremely regressive.

I'd also like to see meaningful campaign reform.  I'm willing to compromise on freedom of speech in the interest of not duping the gullible.  Control the venues and types of political speech available to any candidate.  Fact check everything and publicize all erroneous claims.  Also, no voter suppression laws of any kind.  Voting should be easy, convenient and perhaps even required.

While we're compromising on traditional rights, lets go after the second amendment.  Get military weapons out of the hands of anyone not in the military.  Lets put all our eggs in the basket of getting government right so that we don't need an amendment which people interpret to mean we should periodically take the government down by armed insurrection.

Lets also get out of the business of being the world's policemen.  Work instead to put that responsibility onto an international coalition.  A world court should be something we promote, not undermine.

[Minimalist]

Government should stop the powerful from stomping on the weak.

[abaris]

Government should stop the powerful from stomping on the weak.

Nothing to add, really.

Just some further details. Making sure that everyone is fed and noone has to sleep or to die in the streets.

[Thumpalumpacus]

In my mind, the first role of government is to not be bought. Government's other rightful roles: securing the borders; enforcing domestic laws; ensuring equality of opportunity; providing a temporary safety net so that the unfortunate have a fallback position.

Jefferson's "That government is best which governs least" is my guiding principle. My abandoning pure libertarianism arose from my recognition that in moderns times, "governing least" was going to be a hell of a lot larger than in 1791. A political philosophy which cannot change is one doomed to failure.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Fix the roads, keep the garbage picked up, educate the kids, look after the oldies.

Boru

[PiousPaladin]

We've seen what can happen when the government lets loose of the reigns, I think it should take a more active roll in enforcing moral order and discipline.

A new national service program may be a good start, as well as mandatory theology lessons in all schools.

[Pyrrho]

... I would like to see government used to maintain an acceptable minimum level of wealth.  To that end, I'd like to make taxes unavoidable and extremely regressive.

...

I think you mean that you want taxes to be extremely progressive, not regressive.  We have regressive taxes now, with rich people paying a lower percentage of their income than poor people.

regressive

2(Of a tax) taking a proportionally greater amount from those on lower incomes

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/defini...ctCode=all

progressive

1.2(Of taxation or a tax) increasing as a proportion of the sum taxed as that sum increases

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/defini...ctCode=all

[Thumpalumpacus]

We've seen what can happen when the government lets loose of the reigns, I think it should take a more active roll in enforcing moral order and discipline.

A new national service program may be a good start, as well as mandatory theology lessons in all schools.

Move to Saudi Arabia. You'll get all the religious instruction you want.

But keep your meatbeaters off of our Constitution. I have no interest in living in a religiofascist state and will fight such a perversion of the American experiment with every means available.

[Dystopia]

I'm more government friendly than most "liberals" and centrists - When I say government I mean the State's institutions including courts of law, parliament, senate, the government itself, president, etc. - It ought to provide basic needs to its citizens and intervene when necessary. The government should seek a balance between individual rights and public safety, security and well being - Arguably taxing someone is restricting your individual right to own money but it's for the good of society. I also think some behaviours are so self-destructive that the State should actively put an end to it, discourage it or simply outlaw it (like becoming a slave).

[Aristocatt]

Essentially to protect the weak from the strong, provide stability(social, economic, environmental sustainability, national security, domestic security, etc), promote freedom, and lastly to promote growth(economic mainly).

In general I would attach a level of importance to each of those four categories, the first being the most important, the last being the least. However, I would never say that that is always the case. Decisions about what to do should be evaluated on a case by case basis.