[chewzerita]

The idea of a "big government" is a spook. In my country, "big government" is a bad word meaning taxes on corporations, any sort of industry regulation and breaking up monopolies.

When I think of "big government", I imagine a militarized police force, lack of access to medical care, pervasive surveillance, unchecked imperialism, billionaires writing their own rules and to tie a bow on the top: a propaganda wing to manufacture the consent of the governed.

If you think what I wrote about above can only happen in "authoritarian" or, gasp, "communist" countries, you are certainly mistaken.

[zaroth]

I think a few of your boogeyman are out of date.

The militarized police force was bested by a couple hundred anarchists and no charges even filed.

The lack of access to medical care just spent $6 billion buy vaccines for everyone in the country.

The unchecked imperialism just drew down all their troops and is achieving real progress towards normalized peaceful relations.

A few of the others are quite on point though.

[chewzerita]

> The militarized police force was bested by a couple hundred anarchists and no charges even filed.

Source? A couple hundred anarchists were not there to "best" Officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove when they shot 32 times at Breonna Taylor in her own home.[1] It is not just a few "bad apples" when the whole tree was planted to enforce and uphold slavery.[2]

> The lack of access to medical care just spent $6 billion buy vaccines for everyone in the country.

We funded the development of these vaccine candidates, yet it seems like we are going to have pay to out of pocket if we actually want to use them. If we already payed for it, under what circumstance should we not already have it guaranteed for everyone?

On another note: losing a job should not mean losing access to healthcare. Healthcare is a human right.

> The unchecked imperialism just drew down all their troops and is achieving real progress towards normalized peaceful relations.

Really? All their troops? This one really puzzles me, especially since my country currently has its hands deep in at least two South-American country's democratic processes.[3][4]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Breonna_Taylor

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_patrol

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Gideon_(2020)

[4] https://theintercept.com/2020/07/23/the-u-s-supported-coup-i...

[tehjoker]

> The militarized police force was bested by a couple hundred anarchists and no charges even filed.

The police funding was increased instead of decreased as the movement demanded. The policy goals of people in the streets were absolutely thwarted and the police continue to do whatever they want.

> The lack of access to medical care just spent $6 billion buy vaccines for everyone in the country.

Congrats, you get one (1) vaccine so they can keep making money off your labor. If you have a stroke or an accident, that's on you.

> The unchecked imperialism just drew down all their troops and is achieving real progress towards normalized peaceful relations.

The US military has "lily pads" in over a hundred (and maybe over two hundred) places in the world and patrols the high seas. The oil supply is secured and various coups are funded or otherwise supported, for example in Bolivia which has just defeated the latest attempt to secure private control of the lithium fields.