What are the governemnt's most important jobs?

Question

I'd like to see how the Y!A folks rank things.

Security, interstate commerce, environmental protection, workplace safety, education, consumer protection, transportation, water quality, public health, pharmaceutical regulation & monitoring, food safety, and anything else you can think of.

What do you think should be the government's priorities? If you like, you can break it down between federal, state and municipal.

Answer 1

Economy, Enviroment, Health, and Military.  That's pretty much all I believe in.  If those are all right, then everything should run smoothly.

Speaking of which, we should have universal health care to all green-card immigrants and citizens and government-funded alternative energies.

Answer 2

SERVING the citizens not ruling them

Answer 3

The most important job, above all else, is to serve the interests of those who voted government officials into office.  That rarely seems to happen these days.