Politics is a source of entertainment, heated debate where no one is every fully satisfied. What should a government be, what should it do? What is the duty of government.
This idea that a government has a basic thing it should be doing is easily overlooked in the heat of the moment. The economy is going to hell with afterburners in full flame. A hundred special interests with thousands of dollars to spend woes congressmen with free lunches, travel and vacations, thinly disguised as "consultation", "guest speaker" and carry associated payoffs.
What is the duty of government?
A government's duty is to organize people and resources for the best survival of its people. Best survival not only meant a chicken in every pot, but equal opportunity for all to build a better tomorrow, for tomorrow's better life.
How can a government do this task? It does, by creating order. It makes law so that national communication and transportation can be built. So electrical power and water systems can be built to good standards. And so that health care is available, too.
A government's product is order and opportunity, brought into being by law. And there are three law actions. From slow to immediate they are judicial, legislative and executive. The executive (call him president, king or shah), being a single individual, can act rapidly and without agreement. In the USA he can deploy the military and other resources in rapid action.
The legislative law action is slower. It passes law that result in better or poorer distribution of people and resources.
And the judicial action of law is slowest of all, laws are changed by people bringing lawsuit to change laws, when people see an unjust application of law.