On the news this morning a member of Congress said "I don't know anything government does well other than defend the country". Of course my ears pricked up and the squirrels in my old head started spinning the wheels. Is he correct? Libertarians argue that government is far too big and that it should only perform the functions specifically outlined in or reasonably implied from the Constitution. I think most of us have at least some libertarian tendencies because independence and freedom from government intervention are in the American DNA, probably a consequence of our history. And I absolutely agree that government is too big and that administrative bodies often impose silly regulations on society and the economy. I also agree that government is often very inefficient. However, I'm not at all interested in making government go away. Here are a few governmental functions I'm happy to let my tax dollars cover.