One Response

1. Dave W

   December 18th, 2009 at 11:21 pm

   1

   There is no specific link covering that diverse list of government services.
   Overall, it’s more efficient when government provides services to dense population areas.
   The fewer people in a region, the more costly are the individual costs.
   For example, in USA, during the 1930’s, many rural areas, where population was spread out, lacked utilities like sewers and electrical lines.
   Part of FDR’s New Deal started federal programs to build dams, to provide cheap electricity, then build the power grid to deliver that electrical power to people in rural areas. (in late 1930’s)
   This created a building boom, and expansion of people from crowded cities to more rural places, that now had utilities. (after WWII)
   Currently, the Obama Admin is willing to spend more money on infrastructure, building the power grids necessary to move wind power to areas where people live.
   He is talking about expanding cable lines carrying the world wide web (Internet) to many rural places that currently can only receive it via satellite connections, that can be expensive.
   He wants more government programs to be available on line, or at least more “transparent” and can be “watch-dogged” by private citizens, thus increasing the efficiency of delivering government programs, or services.
   Health care delivery in USA today is very haphazard, with many rual areas not even having a local doctor, and to get to a hospital, takes a helicopter, or 100 mile drive.
   It’s too costly to put doctors and hospitals into every rural town.
   Using the internet today can also connect health treatment and diagnosis from urban areas to more isolated rural regions.
   As you recall the spread of many diseases via food, infected with bacteria, is in part due to lack of government inspectors around the country. It’s too expensive to police the whole nation for law-violaters that produce contaminated foods.
   Most government services have to be greatly limited due to not having enough money to provide many needed services. Business often won’t pay either, or cannot be trusted to police itself.
   Many local communities do not get access to “welfare” because there are no social workers to do all the paperwork.
   Those who live in urban areas, cities, often get more help, and services. That’s also why taxes are often highest in urban areas too.
   More cost efficiencies can be gained if old government services are supported with E-government.
   Check out reference below: