For the Record: Obama on Proper Roles of Government, and Civil Discourse

President Barack Obama's address to Congress on health care last night contained numerous thoughtful and thought-provoking passages. Here's one of my favorites, fourth paragraph from the end:

You see, our predecessors understood that government could not, and should not, solve every problem. They understood that there are instances when the gains in security from government action are not worth the added constraints on our freedom. But they also understood that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little; that without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can stifle competition, and the vulnerable can be exploited. And they knew that when any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted or beneficial, is subject to scorn; when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as un-American; when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom; and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter — that at that point we don't merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something essential about ourselves.

In those words, I hear not communism but concern for community. I hear not a fire-breathing liberal but a defender of liberty. Not bad.