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Government Takeover Is Never A Good Idea
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| Guest post by: Michael Hume |
Article Overview: I have argued that there are two sorts of people out there (and inside each of us): the Entrepreneur, who is self-reliant, personally responsible and lives by a sense of obligation to his fellow human... and the Victim, who relies on others to solve his problems, and lives by a sense of entitlement. If, as a society, we lean toward Victimhood, we're in trouble. If we can give Entrepreneurship the upper hand, we might just solve this mess.
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Free Download - Great Leadership Requires Inspiration, XIX By Michael Hume |
Government Takeover Is Never A Good Idea
The More Government, The Longer and Deeper The Recession
If you listen to today's mainstream media, you might think our current government has led us to a "recovery" from a recession that is wholly the fault of George W. Bush, although the recovery is, mysteriously, "weak."
Are we really in recovery in the United States, or is this simply the eye of a large, frightening storm? Some experts predict our social programs, entitlements, big government and huge spending spell disaster... I've heard that conditions are ripe for a huge crash in the American stock market, with the rest of the world to follow in a repeat performance of the Great Depression.
I have argued that there are two sorts of people out there (and inside each of us): the Entrepreneur, who is self-reliant, personally responsible and lives by a sense of obligation to his fellow human... and the Victim, who relies on others to solve his problems, and lives by a sense of entitlement. If, as a society, we lean toward Victimhood, we're in trouble. If we can give Entrepreneurship the upper hand, we might just solve this mess.
"Progressives" in our governments play to the victims. They will promise you any amount of other people's money to get you to vote their way. Conservatives tend to appeal more to the entrepreneur in each of us. They promise to get government out of your way so you can chase the "American Dream," and in the process, create a healthy and wealthy private sector that makes everyone (from the top to the bottom of the economic scale) more happy and secure.
Let's take a look at how previous U.S. administrations have handled economic crises in the last century:
In 1920, the country faced a huge recession you've probably never heard of. That's because the government handled it by not really doing much, and it went away. It was an election year, and incumbent Woodrow Wilson was bedridden following a stroke (otherwise things might have turned out much differently). He never got around to implementing big spending and social programs. Instead, his short-lived successor Warren G. Harding and vice president Calvin Coolidge cut federal spending by 50% and otherwise took no action (including the non-action of keeping tax rates low)... and the recession of 1920 ended, ushering in an era of rapid economic growth later dubbed "The Roaring Twenties."
The Roar ended in 1929 with the stock market crash. First liberal Republican Herbert Hoover, then Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, handled the crisis in a very different way. They grew government, grew taxes, grew regulation... and grew the Depression. Recent studies have shown that the Great Depression would have been much less "great," and much shorter, without all the government "help." It's a fact that the stock market took 25 years to regain its 1929 highs... that's 1954, two-and-a-half decades and two wars later.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan inherited a much worse economy than did Barack Obama. Unemployment and inflation were both in double digits, interest rates were through the roof, and world events gave investors no comfort (the war those days was "cold," but anyone alive back then will tell you that was not a trivial war... and more than a hundred hostages in Tehran will tell you the emergence of radical Islam was no picnic, either). Rather than sit around for years blaming the Carter administration for all the nation's woes (which might've been more appropriate than today's "blame Bush" recitals), Reagan cut taxes, cut government, and cut regulation. The result was the biggest and longest growth of the economy in world history.
Today, the government is ideologically wedded to intervention in the economy in a style and scope very like that of the federal intervention in the Great Depression. You don't need a weatherman to know which way this wind is going to blow.
Maybe it will all blow over. But if it doesn't, it's time now to think about how you're going to weather the next great depression. Are you ready for the stock market to be trading at around 3000? How about hyper-inflation? Maybe the mythical million-dollar loaf of bread won't happen. You willing to bet your family's livelihood on that, given history, and given the current government's proclivities?
Start a business on the side. Save your money. Get out of debt as soon as you can. Grow some vegetables.
Yeah, maybe it's just fear-mongering paranoia.
Good luck trusting this administration.
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About the Author: Michael Hume RSS for Michael's articles - Visit Michael's website Michael Hume is a speaker, writer, and consultant specializing in helping people maximize their potential and enjoy inspiring lives. As Founding Consultant of Agents of Personal Change (APC), LLC, he coaches executives and leaders in growing their personal sense of well-being through wealth creation and management, along with personal vitality. Those with an entrepreneurial spirit who want to make money "one less thing to worry about" can learn more about working with Michael at http://tinyurl.com/myownbiznow Anyone wanting to jump-start their vitality can browse through the best (and most travel-friendly) nutraceuticals on the market at http://www.vibeforme.com/239824 Michael and his wife, Kathryn, divide their time between homes in California and Colorado. They are very proud of their offspring, who grew up to include a homemaker, a rock star, a service talent, and a television expert. Two grandchildren also warm their hearts! Visit Michael's web site at http://michaelhume.net Click here to visit Michael's website Maintaining Our Spending Superiority The Turkeys We Send To DC Does This Hotel Have A Gym Economic Reform Is A Dragon You Can Slay Theres Still Inspiration Out There |
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