"The proper business of government is not business, it is service to the common people"

[applegrove]

The proper business of government is not business, it is service to the common people

by Mark E. Anderson at the Daily Kos Labor

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/07/06/1311323/-The-proper-business-of-government-is-not-business-it-is-service-to-the-common-people

"SNIP..........................


This past week we have seen the highest court in the land rule against home healthcare workers and against women. A week where the rights of the common people were overridden by the rights of corporations. Not exactly a winning week for progressive causes.
This is not the first time in our nation's history when business interests overruled the interests of those of us who are not incorporated. At the turn of the 20th century, this very same fight was going on. The names have changed, but the fight has not, as you can see below the fold.
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Here in Wisconsin, in fourth grade, every child across the state learns about Wisconsin history. One of the lessons taught is about Fighting Bob La Follette. In 1900 Robert M. La Follette was elected governor of Wisconsin as a Progressive Republican who believed that the proper business of government was not business, but service to the common people.

La Follette, during his time as governor, took on big business, which at the time was the railroads, and passed many reforms to clean up government and make it work for the people. Of these reforms the most important one that was signed into law was the reform of civil service jobs (PDF). Instead of the patronage system used in the past, civil service exams became the norm, thus weeding out corruption in state government.




..........................SNIP"