Sheldon Richman
The Goal Is Freedom: Washington Logic
Let me see if I have this straight. The U.S. government is going to borrow $819-$??? billion, largely from the Chinese (if they’ll lend it, which they may not) and put that money into people’s pockets in a hundred different ways, from paying workers for filling potholes, to extending unemployment benefits, to expanding Medicare, to weatherizing buildings, to enlarging the National Endowment for the Arts, and on and on and on. This is going to make us all richer. What would we do without those folks in Washington, D.C.?
The rest of this week’s TGIF is here.
Comment by Carl Clegg on 30 January 2009:
To capture the absurdity of the spending frenzy, think about how you or any rational person would behave in the event of a personal recession — say a job loss. Would you break out the credit cards and spend MORE than you normally do in order to maintain your living standard and to keep your fellow countrymen fully employed and to save them from the fate that befell you? Would you buy MORE artwork and upgrade your health insurance to a more expensive plan? Would you spend big money on fixing the pot holes in your driveway, adding on to the house, building a new bathroom, or making other improvements? Would you weatherize your unheated garage, buy new cars just for the sake of it, and borrow more money to do it all? If you wouldn’t do it during a personal recession, why should the US government be doing it during a national and worldwide recession?
Comment by Steve Hogan on 30 January 2009:
Carl,The government does it because it isn’t their money they’re squandering. And it allows them to exercise power over others, which they seem to enjoy. It’s a mental sickness, but there you have it.The alternative is for government to shrink and for the politicians to get real jobs in the private sector. Imagine Ted Kennedy working for a living serving others. An honest day’s work would kill the man.