We Need Chaotic And Unforgiving Capitalism Not Government Command And Control

I love Mark Steyn and his column this week is an absolute must read. He skewers Obama and Geithner on turning what was a recession into an all out government power grab of the economy and everything that goes with it.

Writing in the Chicago Tribune last week, President Obama fell back on one of his favorite rhetorical tics: “But I also know,” he wrote, “that we need not choose between a chaotic and unforgiving capitalism and an oppressive government-run economy. That is a false choice that will not serve our people or any people.”

Really? For the moment, it’s a “false choice” mainly in the sense that he’s not offering it: “a chaotic and unforgiving capitalism” is not on the menu, which leaves “an oppressive government-run economy” as pretty much the only game in town. How oppressive is yet to be determined: To be sure, the official position remains that only “the richest five percent” will have taxes increased. But you’ll be surprised at the percentage of Americans who wind up in the richest five percent. This year federal government spending will rise to 28.5 per cent of GDP, the highest level ever, with the exception of the peak of the Second World War. The 44th president is proposing to add more to the national debt than the first 43 presidents combined, doubling it in the next six years, and tripling it within the decade. But to talk about it in percentages of this and trillions of that misses the point. It’s not about bookkeeping, it’s about government annexation of the economy, and thus of life: government supervision, government regulation, government control. No matter how small your small business is — plumbing, hairdressing, maple sugaring — the state will be burdening you with more permits, more paperwork, more bureaucracy.

Of course some regulation is needed to keep capitalism running as smoothly as possible like not letting people that shouldn't be buying a house get a mortgage. There is a big difference between good regulation and bad like killing our economy with draconian cap and trade rules on energy production and environmental laws that prevent anything from being built.

Obama and his fellow Demcrats are about one thing and that is the power to control you and every aspect of your lives while redistributing whatever wealth is left to the government.