A Case Against Big Government

It's too hot to do much of anything today.  So I'm thinking 'out loud' as I sit here browsing through headlines. Here's one that caught my eye.  The  U.S.  has fallen to 5th in global competitiveness.  We were number one as recently as 2008.

Why?  The Global Economic Forum, who did the rating, says it's because of our huge deficits and declining public faith in government. Well, yes.  It has become painfully obvious over the past several years.  Yet, if the Democrats had their way they would continue to borrow more, spend more, tax more and regulate more until government would be all there is.

Why is it that they don't realize their way doesn't work?  Does anyone really expect Obama's speech on jobs to be anything other than a continuation of current policy?  Or lack of it?

The way I see it, government doesn't do much of anything well.  This goes beyond party.  It goes to the lack of expertise by those who write the legislation and regulations and pass the laws.  Take Obamacare as an example.  Remember when Nancy Pelosi jubilantly cheered it's passing by saying it was then time to read it and find out what was in it?  Doesn't that say everything needed to be said about big and in this case one sided government?

We elect congress but we don't make the committee assignments.  We don't choose the cabinet. How many people in the cabinet are experts in their field of assignment rather than political cronies or big time supporters of the President?  What did Janet Napolitano know of the intracacies of homeland security? Does being from a border state suffice?

The two party system is a saving grace of sorts.  When we finally have our fill of one we boot them out and install the other.  Then they try to undo what the previous had done.  It's a wonder anything gets done.  I think it may be better that way.  When one party controls both houses and the Presidency we get frighteningly close to a dictatorship.

In this administration we elected a blank slate to the Presidency and wrote on it what each of us wanted to see.  We had best not make that mistake again.  We escaped this time with an ineffectual leader with an ideology that would ruin this country beyond repair had he had any skills.  He and his have done enough damage as is.  This we got thanks to war fatigue, a weak opponent with an even weaker choice as a backup.  At least McCain had a history that could be traced and verified.

If government would shrink back within the lines and quit trying to do what they want instead of what we want, things would be much better.  Shoot.  Outlaw regulations!  Outlaw unfunded mandates!  Keep our military strong and our infrastructure sound and we, the people, will take care of the rest.

What do we gain by closing down a kid's lemonade stand?  A youngster soured on entrepreneurship.  Instead of learning how to make money and fend for themselves, they'll ask Dad for more allowance.  I wonder if that's how welfare states get started.  Just leave them, and the rest of us alone.  If their lemonade isn't any good the competition from the kids on the next block will make it known.  They'll either fix it or fail.  My bet is, given the chance, they'll fix it.  It's the American way.  Not the government's.