Lessons Never Learned

Forbes mag recently explained that the sickest states in the Union are those which have the most Democrats per capita - Ill, NY, Conn, CA, and NJ. Most of us are not surprised by this, yet it is telling in the larger sense. The malady which impacts these states now threatens to impact the entire nation.

Forbes measured unfunded pension liabilities, credit ratings, debt as a % of GSP, and a "moocher ratio" that compares gov’t employees, pension burdens and Medicaid enrollees to private-sector employment (that would be the lamprey vs the host, would it not?). Kent Redfield, prof emeritus of political studies and public affairs at the Univ of Ill explains that the stronger unions and larger appetite for public programs is the reason these states are in the tank. "Unions," he says, "have more influence in Democratic-controlled states," and ,"..where they’re strong you have bigger demands for social services and coalitions ....that push up debt."

Now we have a president who is literally owned by the unions. He too is a big fan of the protection racket. More, he has never seen a "public program" he didn’t like.

OK, so now what? We have an economy which is struggling to recover. We all agree on that. And most of us understand that what we need is less intrusion, fewer burdens on free enterprise - the JFK and Reagan way.

It won’t happen with this guy.

As we have explained before, employers are not simply waiting to hire, given demand. If you think they’re sitting still, you’re mistaken. Instead, they are this very moment making changes which will completely emasculate the work force - permanent changes driven by self preservation. That is why productivity has exploded.

Now folks, some 70% of GDP is based on consumer spending. This ain’t about to go anywhere, certainly not erupt, until employment expands. Employment is not about to expand, not as long as employers know that BO will be around for three more years. Big mistake in the voting booth, huh?

Our lefty friends must refrain from surface feeding. That is why they are frustrated; they don’t understand the implications of their own ideology. These types made jokes galore about Bush’s library. We wonder sometimes about their libraries.

Suggestion to the left: Take a week off. Read Milton & Rose Friedman’s Free To Choose, then F.A. Hayek’s The Road To Serfdom. This will do all of us a world of good.

Robert Craven