Russian Steps

In this presidential election year it seems like we are in a constant hail storm of political ads and political news.  If we fail to think for ourselves then there is almost certainly some political pundit who is willing to do all of the thinking for us.  It's exhausting to hear all of the political back and forth all of the time.  Perhaps one of the most amazing things that I hear over and over is the cry of 'get government out of our lives'.  That is indeed a noble thought but let's face it, it's not a realistic one.

Volkswagen this year was hit with some serious bad press over their lying to government regulators about the pollution levels of their vehicles.  Bernie Madoff's companies are still being liquidated in bankruptcy courts.  Over and over again we see that the only thing keeping companies honest is the strong arm of the law.  Call them regulations if you want.  Oppose regulations if you want.  But be willing to accept the consequences of what happens when there is no remedy against evil doers.

For some reason this kind of thing reminds me of time that I have spent in Russia.  Russia is a great country that is full of proud people.  They have, at times, rotten leaders but the people themselves are truly amazing.  One thing that you notice right away in Russia is that virtually none of their stairways are even.  The first step is four inches, the second step might be six inches and the third step might be five inches.  I had to learn how to walk on the steps in Russia.  In the United States we walk up a flight of stairs assuming one step is equal to the next.  We do not have to focus on each individual step.  That is not at all the case everywhere and in Russia you could well die from falling down the stairs if you are not focused on what you are doing.

So why do I bring this up in regard to elections?  Because every time I hear about making the government insanely small or repealing every single government regulation I think of the Russian steps.  There is obviously no government body in Russia that regulates building codes.  (Don't even get me started on the horror show of Russian elevators).  We take our government for granted.  We drive on amazing roads.  Our buildings are safe and strong.  Our police work very hard to maintain order.  Our social workers assist struggling families.  Our military is a world power.  Our list of good quality government services goes on and on. 

An average Russian will roll their eyes when they talk about their failing government.  Many times I heard people say 'maybe that's how it works in a normal country but that's not how it works in Russia'.  We roll our eyes because something seems less effective in our government than it should be.  We sometimes celebrate our police and military but we rarely celebrate our government rank and file.  We roll our eyes at them.  We want to eliminate their jobs.  We want to cut their pay.  We want to kill their pensions.  (OK, not all of us want to eliminate our rank and file but that kind of thing is said so often during election seasons that it sure seems like government workers are the enemy).

We would fall apart if we had to deal with the kind of government that they have in Russia.  Next time you get the urge to roll your eyes at our government stop and think about the focus of what they are trying to do in their government role.  Good government makes our lives better.  Bad government leaves you to walk up and down uneven steps all day long.  Bad government lets you get cheated, lied to, and even killed.  Russian steps.