The Answer Is Freedom

by Ed Feulner - January 18th, 2009 - Washington Times

In times of uncertainty, it's natural that people will look to government for answers. Yet the long-term solutions to our current economic problems don't lie in more government spending, controls or regulations.

Consider Japan. Facing a deep recession, the Japanese implemented 10 separate spending stimulus packages between 1992 and 2000. Spending on public infrastructure was a major part of each one. Yet the Japanese economy refused to cooperate. After eight years of "stimulus" Japan's economic growth was anemic. The Japanese economy grew only 0.6 percent annually between 1992 and 2007. During that time, eight countries surpassed Japan's per capita income.

So much for infrastructure stimulus.

The answer is freedom! What a great concept. Have Americans forgotten this? Have Americans given up on freedom? Everyone keeps saying that the choice of socialism by voters in our recent election is because people are frightened. That it is natural for them to seek the security of government. What are they frightened of? Do they really think that we are facing tough times? Well maybe it is natural for some to seek government tyranny because they are frightened, but not all.

At least one of the things I find annoying is when liberal Americans who are themselves too gutless to fight the Islamo-fascists insist the VOLUNTEERS who are winning the war on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan should be brought home. This is not because the VOLUNTEERS are afraid, but because the people who are themselves too gutless to fight are told by DEMOCRATS that the draft should be reinstated. The fear of the liberal pacifists is so great that they will not even allow others to defend them if there is a risk they may be asked to fight as well. Appeasement and cowering here at home is the ONLY strategy they will accept.

On economics they have a similar attitude. They are scared to invest in the future because of the fear they might lose their money, so they do not want to allow others to take an investment risk either. They insist that it has to be done by government with GUARANTEED returns. If you succeed privately they want you taxed for ALL your profits to make sure you do not embarrass them and expose their fear.

All Americans are not like this. If they were, America itself would never have come to exist. The reality is that we once loved the attitude of people like Patrick Henry, "Give me liberty or give me death".

Many still feel the same.