Big Government Is Bad Government

As we move into the 21st century Western democracies are more and more becoming involved in the trivia of people’s lives. All governments, no matter what their political leaning seem to be under the impression that they know what is best for each and every one of us. Instead of involving themselves in the great issues of the day they are increasingly legislating on details about how we conduct our lives on a daily basis. Instructing us on what generally we cannot do. Western societies are as a result becoming more and more restrictive. Vocal and active minorities have more and more influence over the legislators.

The vast majority of the populations are apathetic and hold no strong views one way or the other therefore the governments continue to march on eroding away at our liberties. The most worrying aspect of all of this is that the excuse used each time is that it is done for the benefit of all.
Government leaders are constantly heard to say or intimate that we know what is best for you because we can see the bigger picture, we understand all the issues. So they invade Iraq, ban fox hunting, ban smoking bring down the time limit on abortions. All have different reasons. Iraq and the reasons for invasion are still unclear; banning fox hunting because it is cruel; banning smoking because it is unhealthy; changing the time limit for abortions on moralistic grounds dressed up with medical science.

I would presume that this interference in our everyday lives is because the politicians can think of no big issues any more. All the great reforms have been carried out in the past.. Now we can only tinker at the edges whilst half the world spirals into chaos. Smoking in public places is banned in many countries because its effects on public health are too costly to the health services. Will eating in a public place be outlawed? Will failure to take adequate exercise be a punishable offence? Will being over a certain weight incur a massive fine? Obesity and its effects are far more costly on health services than those of smoking and alcohol combined.

Why is it that governments think that they must spend their entire time in office creating new laws?

Much of the legislation going through the UK parliament at the moment is modifying previous Acts of Parliament in order to make them better, more effective less costly and so it goes on. Why are they so inept at getting it right the first time?

Something major happens such as an outrageous event and we immediately have to have new laws and introduce more restrictions. Soon it seems we in the UK will have to have ID cards which we will have to purchase at great expense despite the fact that we do not want them. However ID cards will solve all our problems, criminals will always be tracked down and fraud will become a thing of the past. Terrorism will still happen but at least we will catch them afterwards because they will all have ID cards.

Perhaps governments should go on an extended holiday, have a break from all that hard work of thinking up new laws and they can then sit back and watch us plunge into chaos with a knowing smile and a final ‘told you so, we know what’s best’.

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Telecenter Dorong E-Government

BANYUWANGI. Untuk mencapai penerapan teknologi informasi dan komunikasi (TIK) secara menyeluruh hal yang penting adalah infrastruktur dan jaringan komunikasinya. Dengan terbangunnya infrastruktur peluang dan pemerataan komunikasi dapat dicapai. Namun sering menjadi kendala adalah pada sisi isi atau content. Ditambah dengan pemahaman masyarakat tentang TIK itu sendiri. Apa solusinya? Telecenter diharapkan dapat menjawabnya. Kini beberapa daerah mulai membangun telecenter dipedesaan. Telecenter itu diharapkan dapat digunakan untuk pemberdayaan ekonomi masyarakat. Di Jawa Timur misalnya, sejak Muhammad Nuh me-launching Jawa Timur sebagai e-Province, hingga sekarang sudah terdapat sepuluh lebih telecenter yang tersebar dibeberapa daerah. ”Telecenter pada akhirnya menjadi kebutuhan masyarakat sehingga pemerintah dapat mewujudkan e-learning dan e-government diwilayah tersebut,” harap M Nuh seperti dirilis dari banyuwangikab.go.id.

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E-Procurement Total 2009

BANJAR. Melaksanakan pemerintahan yang mencitrakan transparan dengan good governance tampaknya menjadi prioritas pemerintah daerah (pemda). Apalagi dengan adanya gerakan reformasi birokrasi yang dilakukan beberapa instansi pemerintah. Buktinya pemda kini terus mencoba menerapkan sistem pemerintahan menggunakan teknologi informasi yang diyakini mampu melakukan efisiensi dan efektifitas kerja. Tak mau tertinggal, pemerintah kabupaten Banjar, Kalimantan Selatan pun menerapkan proses pengadaan barang dan jasa elektronik atau e-procurement. Pelaksanaan sistem e-procurement ini diresmikan oleh Yusni Anani, Sekretaris Daerah di Aula Dinas Permukimana Prasarana Wilayah Kabupaten Banjar awal April lalu (7/4). Menurut Yusni seperti dikutip dari banjarkab.go.id, sistem ini akan mendorong pemerintahan yang bersih dan pelayanan prima kepada masyarakat. Tahun 2008 ini masih dilakukan ujicoba dengan sistem semi e-procurement. ”Tahun 2009 mendatang e-procurement akan diberlakukan pada semua pengadaan barang dan jasa,” jelasnya.

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