Government is NOT the correct tool
Many problems in modern societies happen because people confuse political government for something it isn't. They expect it to do things it can't do and isn't suited for. To do things right you need to use the correct tools.
A hammer is the proper tool for driving nails. A feather isn't a hammer; neither is a shotgun. Even though you might be able to use a coffee cup to drive a small nail-- don't try this with your favorite cup-- it's not a hammer either. Using things for purposes they aren't well-suited for will cause problems.
Even if something looks like a hammer, feels like a hammer, and can be wielded like a hammer, if it is made out of the wrong stuff it's not going to work well as a hammer.
After decades of observation I have yet to find any situation which requires government, or where government would be the best tool for the job. It doesn't seem to be the correct tool for doing anything helpful.
You probably disagree, so I'll stay out of your search for the proper use of political government and instead focus on what I know government isn't the right tool for.
Government is not your doctor. It is not a scientist. It's not an expert on anything other than how to push people around and steal their life, liberty, and property.
Government is not your parent. It is not your educator. It is not your moral guide. It is not your savior. It is not your friend.
Government is not your spouse, nor is it your provider. It is not your leader or your protector.
Government is not a genie from a magic lamp, granting your wishes. It is not your ATM. Anything it gives you has been stolen from someone-- often from your future self. Can future-you afford to support present-you?
Thinking of government as something it isn't won't turn out well for society. It's not healthy to treat it as though it is any of those things.
Even if you get away with using government as a tool, when you mix anything with politics you end up with only politics. It's like mixing poison with food.
As I say, I can't tell you what government is good for; I'll let you ponder the answer to that puzzle for yourself. For me, political government-- which is everything people usually call "the government"-- is an unnecessary evil. It's not a tool I would use even if I had no other.
I feel like a SHTF event is imminent. Notice I don't say I think it is, rather it's just a feeling. Possibly triggered by the upcoming election.
I don't have a crystal ball. I'm almost definitely wrong.
If you can see it coming, it's not going to happen. That's almost a guarantee.
Just like the Coronapocalypse came at us out of nowhere, triggered by unexpected government overreactions to a fairly normal virus, a more serious event will also be a surprise. Consider the Coronapanic a practice run. It should have shown you the holes in your preps if you were paying attention.
I lucked out with the panicdemic because I was ready. Well, maybe it wasn't completely luck; I've prepped for years "just in case", and it finally paid off. I was pretty sure I wouldn't see it coming when it finally happened, and I didn't. But it didn't matter because I stay ready all the time-- and I have done so since well before the Y2K fizzle. I intend to be just as ready, if not more ready, the next time something ...
Sometimes it's good to just listen to people's stories without interrupting, even when you know the stories are nonsense.
My 2nd wife used to tell of a ghost that lived in her house when she was a kid. It was an interesting story even though I didn't believe it. I learned quickly that her family was very prone to believe anything as long as it fit with their magical worldview.
Other people tell me stories about beneficial things political government can do. These stories are no more true-- in the sense of being objective reality-- than ghost stories, but they can still be informative if you want to know which particular superstitions a person is living under.
Interrupt and you'll never hear the whole tale. Listen and you might be entertained by some fantastical tales of magical realms. Just don't bet your life on them being true.
My nature is such that I simply can't see government as a solution to anything. This puts me at odds with most of the rest of my species.
Yes, I think "social media" has become a horror. This doesn't mean I want government to regulate it; it means I think people who don't like it (or are too dumb to know not to take it at face value) should probably stop using it.
The same is true of so many other things I don't like.
Litter/pollution, scammers, sexual predators, abortion, animal cruelty, Hillary Clinton, poverty, drug abuse, pandemics, crime, and all manner of awful things.
I may hate them, but that doesn't mean I want government to step in. Look how often that has the opposite effect anyway; making the original problem worse-- or at least not solving it-- while also creating a host of new problems that never would have existed otherwise (anti-gun legislation being a perfect example).
And even if government intervention doesn't make this specific problem worse this particular ...
