what does the government do anyway?

In light of the ongoing blindness to rational thought, public opinion, or expert advice in Iraq, I'm struggling to think of what exactly I do get out of the federal government... when I read that in the administration's 'Pandemic Influenza' plan, they won't:

- help fund local hospitals to help with further care
- help out law enforcement in any way
- pay for more drug stockpiling than the 25% funding they already do
- fund any of the planning at the local level.

Great.