In my opinion the role of the
government should be very limited. They (the government) should provide
national defense and protect private property rights. One might say that
with such a limited government we would not have roadways, schools, and
many other convinces.
In this country (USA), schools were created by communities not the government. People came together for the benefit of their children and built schools, hired teachers, and ensured that their offspring received an education. Parents and the community were more involved in the schools because they had contributed to it. Over time, the government took over the supervision of the educational system.
When the pioneers came though they created roads--not the government. Private property owners kept up roads that adjoined their land so they and others could travel to and from. The government then took over this service as well.
In the past and now there is a great entrepreneurial spirit throughout the United States. Individuals and companies can and do provide the same services as the government. If the government didn't build and construct highways--someone else would.
With that said I support a decentralized government that gives more power to the people instead of elected officials. If people depended on one another more rather that looking to the government, we as a society would be better off.