Purpose

What is the purpose of government? Some would posit various arguments, definitions, and thoughts. Perhaps what government brings is security and safety. I have suggested that it is when we fear for our safety that we cede our rights and convey power to government. See Citing Authority (August 2023).

Government may thrive, or languish. Through its action or inaction, people might be attracted to, complacent in, or driven from any locale. When it fails to deliver safety, we see tragedy. An example is Mali, which lacks stability. It has relied upon France, the United Nations, and armed mercenaries for security. Through it all, the country has been disunited according to the British Broadcasting Corporation (Inside Mali, August 2023). People there are reportedly suffering from violence, disease, and disfunction. 

When government fails in its primary function of security, people suffer. In the ancient past, I lived near "the City by the Bay" (Journey, Lights, CBS Records, 1978). That tune expresses "I want to get back to my City by the bay." Of course, more famous, Tony Bennet recorded I left my Heart in San Francisco back in 1962. That one forever romanticized the Golden City, the "Paris of the West."

I happened upon the locale in between the releases of those two mega hits. There was a time I was enthralled by the place, the people, and the atmosphere. Baz Luhrmann advised experiencing the world, including such locales. In his Everybody's Free (the "Sunscreen Song")(EMI, Capitol Records, 1999), he exalted:

Live in New York City once but leave before it makes you hard

Live in northern California once but leave before it makes you soft

I never lived in New York, but I both lived in northern California and left. Certainly, a great many have moved to California and stayed. But a great many have "been there, done that," and simply moved on. 

San Francisco was never a perfect place, is anywhere? But Mr. Bennet's song resonates with its rejection of New York, Rome, and Paris. No, he exalts the city "high on a hill," the "little cable cars," "chill in the air," "windy sea," and the "golden sun." It was, indeed, a magical place in my youth.

That is nostalgia. Even then, in the 1960s and 1970s, the quality of life in San Francisco had its detractors. There was a perception of danger in that city. Drugs were a perceived problem in the Haight Ashbury district. There were many "hippies" throughout the city, and there was discussion of changes in populations and the cost of living. I recall talk about the challenges in "the Tenderloin," the "Mission District" and "the Wharf." Despite my youth, I was aware of the dangers to some extent and strove to understand them. 

But, mine was a relatively secure existence across the wonderous Golden Gate in Marin County, and in a guarded community. That county was a miraculous place of extreme beauty that encompassed Samuel P. Taylor State Park, Point Reyes, Muir Woods, and more. It was a phenomenal place. I perhaps viewed it then through rose-colored glasses. But on several return trips since, my sentiment at its beauty has been affirmed. 

The area was perhaps never inexpensive. But in the years since my departure, it became incredibly expensive. The influx of technology and those who produce and manage it changed the "city by the bay." And the area changed in other ways. 

Drugs remained a challenge there. The rate of Drug use is notable according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. It notes that "21.9%" of the population "used any illicit drug in the past year." Pot use was 17%. Both of those exceed the rates "in California and the Nation." Many lamented the prevalence when I lived there. It has not apparently improved. There is seemingly some acceptance of drug use. 

San Francisco perceives a crime problem. The city contemplated in 2022 deploying "robocops" capable of deadly force. See These are the Good Old Days (December 2022). Also in 2022, we learned that retailers were closing stores. See Evolution in Economy (January 2022). We heard that people defecate on the sidewalks in the Paris of the West, such that an App was developed to help people avoid the poop. The city did not prevent the public hazard, but in a city of almost a million, it deployed a five-person crew to make an appearance of effort in cleaning it up.

I returned to Muir Woods this century. I found spots on the road that had collapsed. The solution was not to fix the roads, but to put orange cones there. Those warned drivers of the holes and the routine was for drivers in each direction to share the remaining lane at those junctures. The great state of California was unable or unwilling to patch its highways.

I returned to the Wharf on that trip. Unfortunately, I did not feel safe venturing beyond the Wharf itself. The food was fantastic, the scenery sublime, and the atmosphere appealing. But a few blocks off the water, the feeling was simply to return to the Wharf. There was a feeling of diminishing hospitability as one gained distance from the main tourist enclave.

There are those who decry California's approach to property crime. See Theft and Violence (May 2022). There are undoubtedly other cities and states that suffer from such challenges.

But since the pandemic, there is now a reference there to a "doom loop" in San Francisco. There is concern that economic realities may be damaging to "the City by the Bay." The Wall Street Journal has noted the potential. Others are discussing it also. In a recent message on X, the closure of a retail "flagship" in San Francisco was noted. The author of that X said “The city is in a doom spiral," and yet the author committed to remain there.

Some in those articles see the potential for violence as an extension of previous attitudes and responses (or lack) to seemingly more minor challenges. Some lament that challenges have migrated to what they perceive "used to be a good part of San Francisco.” There are those who strive to defend the city from perceptions of "doom," but even those who would "debunk-the-doom" are noting that overdose is prevalent there, and other challenges persist.

One concluded "that no one will catch you if you fall" there. Is there a better definition of community than there will in fact be others there to catch you? Perhaps. The city is now reportedly trying security guards, retired police, and at least once it appears the National Guard was deployed there. The theme seems to be public safety.

Local businesses are closing. National retailers are leaving. And there are those who see the police as the problem, choosing to preclude armed and uniformed police in their businesses. That is anecdotal, but a Google search will find more anecdotes. Despite the portrayal of "doom," there are those who see opportunity. The mall from which retailers have departed may be turned "into a soccer stadium." Would such a facility draw patrons?

What is the purpose of government?

San Francisco is not alone. Business Insider notes that "downtown vitality" is struggling in America. It suggests struggle in St. Louis, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Cleveland, and Kansas City, Missouri." Those cited in that article support the contention that this is "a people problem, not a business problem." There are arguments that downtowns have been too focused on business, and have not been effective at addressing the desires and needs of people.

And there is the rub. There is no difference between people and business. Business is people. Those people are owners, managers, workers, visitors, and customers. All people. We work to survive, but also to self-actuate. Our interactions and engagements are very often either in our work in business or our patronage of business. It is incredible that one might view people and business as severable or even distinct.

Government has to make environs safe for people and business. If businesses are not secure and able to thrive, the San Francisco example demonstrates there will be closures. If the customers do not feel safe, they will not visit, and business will suffer and perhaps close. Sociologists and similar will lament the impact. Recent news on "pharmacy deserts" is in that vein. They will complain that businesses leave, but will perhaps not acknowledge that poor policy, inadequate security, and bad decisions have made business persistence there untenable.

Government can step into the resulting void. It can elect to own and operate retail stores in those environs it has created and facilitated. Chicago is contemplating that now. A government-run store can persist perhaps when private enterprise cannot. No matter how much is stolen or destroyed, tax dollars can nonetheless support ongoing operations. Government, in this context, need not have a profitable store as it has broad and powerful other methods of financial support.

What is the purpose of government?

Through its decisions, government can influence whether people feel safe. Those decisions and policies impact whether businesses have customers and thrive. Government can provide safe and inviting locales, build thriving environments, or it can ignore people pooping on the streets, camping on the sidewalks, and otherwise making others uncomfortable.

The Wall Street use of "spiral" is apt. Environments may spiral upward because of customer demand. As business in an area is successful, customers will be drawn there, more businesses will open, employees will be hired, commerce will thrive. Or, if customers are aloof, scared, or reluctant, then businesses will suffer, jobs will be lost, and closures will occur. The "spiral" can go down as well as up.

What is the purpose of government?

There is a persistent push for workplace safety. We have an abiding concern for reducing accidents and ensuring people have a suitable environment for their labors. But employers cannot make a neighborhood safe. They can, perhaps at best, pick a safe neighborhood. When employers and businesses look out for the workers, the customers, and the business, who has a right to complain that an environment was allowed to deteriorate to the extent that businesses leave for greener pastures? "I cannot believe business left" might instead be "I cannot believe business stayed so long." 

That is the purpose of government. It should ensure a safe environment. It should facilitate a community in which people can work, live, and thrive. That will include encouraging and supporting the workplaces that support the employees, the customers, and the community.