I believe that the forces of history are larger than the people living within them. A handful of people try to push back at these waves – and those who do so with virtuous reasons (like those who truly deserve the Peace Prize, such as Walesa and Mandela) are remembered fondly. But as a whole, humanity is heaved by these waves, for better or worse.
The "wave" right now is pro-government, pro-taxes, pro-regulation, anti-business, and I think we're only a couple of years into it. My rantings against investment banks might be misinterpreted as those of a socialist fringe, but it's not. I am pro-business, pro-freedom, and anti-bureaucracy. It doesn't surprise me that Washington's answer for what had harmed this country is more government, because……..well…….what else would a government say? Self-interest holds sway, whether for a person or an institution.
Fortunes made through innovation and industry are admirable. Fortunes made through rigged games and government bailouts are contemptible. That's why someone like Steven P. Jobs is worth about 100,000 Lloyd Blankfeins.
But the lure of socialism in troubled times grows stronger, and as I think times are going to get worse, I think government's "help" is just going to keep increasing. If public outrage can spur on legislation that we're seeing these days in a year where the market has exploded higher, what do you think things will be like if the market falls for a few years?
These little videos are potent reminders of what was……….
…….and, cornball as it might be, here is some U.S. propaganda (and I use the term fondly) declaring what this nation was all about. That's the America that I love.
