grimmeissen
Administrator
Join Date: 1/14/2004
Posts: 1217
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Posted: 2/21/2008 9:11:58 AM
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http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/economist/67468;_ylt=AjP7bwDHnVCISZnDsRFZIIS7YWsA
This is a pretty good article from Yahoo Finance written by Dr. Charles Wheelan. He gives both side of the small government vs. nanny state argument and explains his opinion why nanny state will always win. He puts most of the blame on people themselves, even pointing out how "conservatives" cry about small government, yet beg for market intervention when things go bad.
I agree with him. Socialism and big government is terrible, but it survives because the people continue to ask for it. The Democrats do it outright, while the Republicans do it in more of a masked fashion. They cry about national health care, but are perfectly fine spending trillions on foreign intervention and aid to other countries. Also, it's typically wealthy Republicans who are the first to beg for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts and government bailouts when the markets hit a rough patch.
The following paragraph from the article really points out how just as much blame can be placed on the voters for our nanny state as can be placed on the lawmakers themselves. The more Democrats and Republicans fall for the socialist message, the more big government they're going to get.
Quote: Have you heard any presidential candidate from either party explain why the appropriate response to the mortgage debacle is to let the culpable parties pay the price for their mistakes? Nothing teaches you about debt like losing your home to foreclosure. I'm still waiting for that speech. (OK, Ron Paul has probably given it -- which is one reason he'll never get more than 10 percent of the vote.)
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SeekerDarksteel
Corporal Sucka
Join Date: 10/11/2005
Posts: 25
Location: Champaign-Urbana
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Posted: 2/25/2008 10:53:04 AM
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People want ad hoc solutions that they don't have to think about or work to enact rather than displaying any sort of responsibility.
We buy trucks that struggle to get double digit fuel efficiency, then pass laws mandating that corporations increase fuel efficiency.
We give nothing to efficient low-level organizations that help the less fortunate, then enact laws that mandate we pay money to an inefficient centralized authority to supply us with health care and welfare.
We let our children do whatever they want, then mandate laws in the name of "protecting the children."
People need to understand that the government isn't here to save us. It's not here to enforce utopia. If Americans decide they don't want to help anyone else and want to send America down the shitter by squirreling all their money away or spending it all on hookers and blow, then it's their goddamn right. If you don't like it, convince them to change.
I find it highly ironic that the same people who so often say "The government shouldn't force other people's morality on us" themselves attempt to force their own morality on people by clamoring for universal health care and greater entitlements.
It's my life and if I want to fuck it up it's my right.
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