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what benefits do you get from law and government?
#police
I have a intrest in learning law enforcement
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James’s Answer
I serve in the Marine Corps currently. I will speak on some of the benefits I get while being in. I get free education. I get free healthcare. I don't have to pay for my rent. I also have had the opportunity to serve overseas, which has led me to be able to travel to Japan, Germany, Finland, Croatia, Sweden, Norway, Kosovo, The Netherlands, and Macedonia.
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David’s Answer
That's a very broad question!
What would life be like without law and government? You can look at countries that have less of both, and see it is a bit of survival of the fittest, where might makes right. On the other hand, too much law and government and you get totalitarian states, where everything you do can be watched and controlled.
The law in a sense protects us from each other. It sets some boundaries for what you can and can't do, so you don't impinge on other people's enjoyment of life unreasonably. You can't go beating up whoever you want--but they can't do it to you either! I think of it as a "low bar" or "outer boundary" of behavior--the law shouldn't really get involved until things get pretty low, or get out of bounds! In your day-to-day life the police or law don't get involved, until someone has breached that outer boundary--then the police get involved (or worse--lawyers!)
Who makes the laws? The government! Who is the "government"? In a democratic society, we elect people to represent us in the government. As you get more and more layers of government--as society gets bigger, more complex, and with more points of social interaction--you end up with people in government that are merely non-elected employees of the elected representatives, and "big government" that may seem out of touch with the people. Lately some people want less and less government, instead relying on themselves or the "private sector" (corporations) to provide what government provides. That debate goes on and on...
What would life be like without law and government? You can look at countries that have less of both, and see it is a bit of survival of the fittest, where might makes right. On the other hand, too much law and government and you get totalitarian states, where everything you do can be watched and controlled.
The law in a sense protects us from each other. It sets some boundaries for what you can and can't do, so you don't impinge on other people's enjoyment of life unreasonably. You can't go beating up whoever you want--but they can't do it to you either! I think of it as a "low bar" or "outer boundary" of behavior--the law shouldn't really get involved until things get pretty low, or get out of bounds! In your day-to-day life the police or law don't get involved, until someone has breached that outer boundary--then the police get involved (or worse--lawyers!)
Who makes the laws? The government! Who is the "government"? In a democratic society, we elect people to represent us in the government. As you get more and more layers of government--as society gets bigger, more complex, and with more points of social interaction--you end up with people in government that are merely non-elected employees of the elected representatives, and "big government" that may seem out of touch with the people. Lately some people want less and less government, instead relying on themselves or the "private sector" (corporations) to provide what government provides. That debate goes on and on...
Hi David! Thanks so much for your thoughtful answer. I believe this student may have been asking about employment benefits that are included with government jobs, rather than the “benefits” of law/government as a concept. Do you have any additional insights for the student regarding these? Thanks again!
Alexandra Carpenter, Admin
Updated
David’s Answer
Benefits of working in government?
Of course many people get satisfaction from being of service to the community--government workers are often called "civil servants." Law enforcement and fire protection especially are well regarded and appreciated by the community. There is some controversy recently about some "bad apples" in the police, but in the vast majority of cases they are well-meaning and helpful people, putting themselves at personal risk to protect others. As with many government positions, the pay is not necessarily very high, so job satisfaction comes from within!
Aside from pay in strictly dollar terms, many government positions have generous pension and medical plans. This is not the case in every community so you must do your research. You may not think much about retirement and medical care now, but down the road these will be very important! Most jobs in the "private sector" (i.e. corporations, not government) these days are moving to retirement plans where you put in your own money and manage it yourself; this is not great for everyone, since not everyone is financially savvy, or have personal expenses that make it hard to save. Some government jobs still have the old-fashioned pension where you put in your years of service and when you retire you get a monthly check for the rest of your life. Medical care and coverage is one of the biggest expenses for a family--here again the private sector is moving toward less and less coverage, leaving the cost burden on individual employees; some government jobs still provide the insurance, some even into retirement! Again, you must do your homework to know what the case is for government jobs in your area. Also keep in mind there are many levels of government (city, county, state, federal) and they are usually not related in terms of employment pay and benefits.
Job security and stability may be another benefit--or not. Some smaller government levels have budget problems so job security may not be great, but federal jobs are generally well protected since the USA collects everyone's taxes! You may have heard of "government shutdown" where sometimes the federal workers were not working, but in many cases they got their wages "back pay" after the shutdown was over. Also, government jobs often have more protection than in the private sector in terms of work hours, vacation, and overtime pay.
Personally I work in the "private sector" but know many people who work in city and federal positions, and I think they get satisfaction from the combination of purpose, pay, benefits (pension, vacation, medical), and work/life balance!
Of course many people get satisfaction from being of service to the community--government workers are often called "civil servants." Law enforcement and fire protection especially are well regarded and appreciated by the community. There is some controversy recently about some "bad apples" in the police, but in the vast majority of cases they are well-meaning and helpful people, putting themselves at personal risk to protect others. As with many government positions, the pay is not necessarily very high, so job satisfaction comes from within!
Aside from pay in strictly dollar terms, many government positions have generous pension and medical plans. This is not the case in every community so you must do your research. You may not think much about retirement and medical care now, but down the road these will be very important! Most jobs in the "private sector" (i.e. corporations, not government) these days are moving to retirement plans where you put in your own money and manage it yourself; this is not great for everyone, since not everyone is financially savvy, or have personal expenses that make it hard to save. Some government jobs still have the old-fashioned pension where you put in your years of service and when you retire you get a monthly check for the rest of your life. Medical care and coverage is one of the biggest expenses for a family--here again the private sector is moving toward less and less coverage, leaving the cost burden on individual employees; some government jobs still provide the insurance, some even into retirement! Again, you must do your homework to know what the case is for government jobs in your area. Also keep in mind there are many levels of government (city, county, state, federal) and they are usually not related in terms of employment pay and benefits.
Job security and stability may be another benefit--or not. Some smaller government levels have budget problems so job security may not be great, but federal jobs are generally well protected since the USA collects everyone's taxes! You may have heard of "government shutdown" where sometimes the federal workers were not working, but in many cases they got their wages "back pay" after the shutdown was over. Also, government jobs often have more protection than in the private sector in terms of work hours, vacation, and overtime pay.
Personally I work in the "private sector" but know many people who work in city and federal positions, and I think they get satisfaction from the combination of purpose, pay, benefits (pension, vacation, medical), and work/life balance!