Feed: Have You Noticed That “Big Government” Is Failing Everywhere? - AggScore: 11.0

Have You Noticed That “Big Government” Is Failing Everywhere?

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img classalignleft srchttpmedia.townhall.comTownhallReub20115C555C20110224T195540Z01WASW206RTRIDSP0OBAMA.jpg alt width225 height150 Big government is failing around the globe.From Sacramento to Saudi Arabia , big, controlling, impersonal and coercive government is failing to fulfill the most basic human needs of the people it is purports to serve. And while scores of individuals around the world struggle to free themselves of big governments shackles some in the Middle East even losing their lives in the process many of my fellow Americans have been gathering publicly and chanting and banging drums and carrying banners and demanding more of it.Its quite a spectacle to watch. And depending on whether the demonstration is in Columbus , or Cairo , the demands of the demonstrators can be different. But at the epicenter of their commotion is a common thread the universal needs of all human beings, and the promises, and failures, of big government.I put quotation marks around the words big government because, technically, the term doesnt apply so well in certain parts of the world. It makes sense for us in the United States we rightly juxtapose the term big government with limited government, or small government. Thats because in America we have a voice in how our government is structured, and over the course of our nations history the pendulum has swung in both directions between a limited government that controls less of our private affairs, and a big government that controls more.But in Libya there hasnt been a pendulum to swing between big government and limited government. There has simply been government Muammar Gaddafi and his band of thugs who do the ruling, and the citizenry are the ruled.Oh sure, there has been one of the chambers of Libya s legislative body where members are supposedly elected from among the governed. But there is no reason to believe that Libyan elections have been held freely and accurately, and no reason to believe that those who get elected can defy or contradict the demands of Mr. Gaddafi frequently spelled Kadafi, a man who acquired his position by means of a political coup.The phoniness of elections in Libya is as bad as the 2009 reelection of Ahmadinejad in Iran . And the elections of Venezuelas Hugo Chavez in 1999, and former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak in 1981 bare significant resemblance as well both characters were elected, yes, but then substantively changed the laws of their governments so they could hang on to power indefinitely.But look at all that is, and is not going on in these nations. Mubarak has been removed after nearly thirty years. Kadafi is on the run if, indeed, he is still alive. Chavez cant seize enough radio and tv stations and kill enough of his countrymen in the streets of Caracas to quell the discontent over his failed socialistic economy. Even King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia cant silence the youthled uprising in his country, and has chosen to extend some 35 billion worth of hand outs as a shortterm fix.So what are we to make of this For one, the turmoil of these countries demonstrates that the natural state of the human soul is a state of freedom. People are not content to merely vote every once in a while. They want a say in how they are governed, yes, but they also want the freedom to engage their godgiven talents, and to improve their lives. They may acquiesce and be passive in the face of dictators and put up with it for a while, and may even for a time believe the claims of rulers who promise peace and provision. But younger generations in Venezuela , Saudi Arabia , Iran , Egypt and Libya have always known the failures of big government, and theyre willing to take enormous risks in some cases even risking their very lives to pursue freedom.Secondly, we should note that when the force of government is utilized to concentrate wealth in the hands of a few, the few will stop at nothing to hangon. Venezuela and Libya and Saudi Arabia have been good for Chavez and Kadafi and King Abdullah yet not so good for everybody else. Similarly, the incestuous relationship between American politicians and government employee unions is good for the politicians and the union members politicians give union members what they want and union members vote to reelect their unionloving politicians but its bad for the taxpayer who ultimately pays the bill.Ultimately, big government produces sluggish and unproductive economies. And the lack of economic productivity leads to civil unrest. Its a vicious cycle that has got the world in a tailspin right now.Big government is failing, around the globe and here at home. Will America make a better choice going forward