One of the easiest arguments to debunk is the tired right-wing refrain that government can’t do anything well. Logically speaking, all one needs to do is provide one example to refute the argument. Of course, logic is not effective when dealing with the kooky, right-wing, tea-bagging fringe, so I prefer to simply bludgeon them with overwhelming evidence.
Take, for example, my recent vacation to the San Francisco Bay area. Without thinking hard, I can list many examples where I encountered the federal government generally doing things right, day after day:
The National Park Service. (Visited Muir Woods, Alcatraz, The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, and Ocean Beach)
The U.S. Coast Guard (All ferries we boarded were equipped with lifesaving equipment per Coast Guard regulations)
The Interstate Highway system (obvious)
The U.S. Mint (Visited the old mint in San Francisco. We also used lots of cash.)
The Federal Aviation Administration and The National Transportation Safety Board (Air traffic control and air safety. We didn’t crash!)
Federal Bureau of Prisons (Visited Alcatraz and conversed with a retired guard. Very difficult job that they do well with little notice.)
The United States Navy (visited a restored WWII submarine and learned about the dangers faced by sailors)
There are more, but you get the idea. Finally, I have two show-stoppers that generally set my right-wing acquaintances’ hairs on fire when they claim the gub’mint can’t do anything.
"How about the invasion of Normandy on June 6th, 1944?" I ask them. "Did the government get it right that time? How many casualties would we have suffered if we had contracted out the invasion to private mercenaries? Or would we be speaking German right now?"
If that doesn’t work, I ask them about the Apollo moon landings.
The point is not that free markets can't succeed. They can. But there are some things that only a government can accomplish. Things like winning a war, funding early exploration of space, prosecuting former presidents for war crimes...
...and insuring everyone has access to quality health care.