To promote the general welfare

Lost in all the Tea Party rage and rhetoric is this simple fact: the federal government plays a central role in making our society function, and it always has. The essays in this volume explore the many ways government programs have improved the quality of life in America. From education, communication, and transportation to arts and culture, housing, finance, and public health, they explore how and why government programs originated, how they have worked and changed-- and been challenged-- since their inception, and why many of them are important to preserve.