Governments Should Be Helping Citizens Get to Yes

Too often, they’re focused on finding excuses to say no

With few exceptions, our governments spend a lot of money making sure only the “right” people get the help they need. In the end, the added paperwork and other burdens these efforts place upon those seeking government services end up causing a lot of frustration and heartache instead of relief, leading many to give up trying to access them altogether.

The obsession with keeping people out instead of inviting people into government programs has infected everything from our immigration systems to the social safety net. It has rendered governments far less efficient than they could and should be while simultaneously reinforcing the now commonly accepted view that government can do little well. In short, it is undermining faith in our democratic systems and opening doors for authoritarian leaders who promise they can make the trains run on time.

While a declining faith in government is a problem everywhere to some degree, it is nowhere seen more than in the United States. It is the premise behind Ronald Reagan’s famous quip that "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help. "