At a meeting of reporters and media types last night, President Obama did a stand-up comedy routine that left his mass media fans howling. They all love Obama, except for Fox News, which everybody says hates Obama because they question some of his actions. The President was happy to throw in a dig against the sole network that dares to be critical of his policies. But otherwise, it was all fun and games.

When the President got to the apparently serious portion of his speech, he pointed out another aspect of what is wrong with the way that so many people think. He began talking about how he must find a way to save the economy. He then went on to say how he must come up with a way to make American car companies find success during these rough times. This most likely will involve more taxation, more debt, more power, and more laws.

This is a good example of what our Federal Government has become. The President apparently thinks that both of these issues are part of his job as President to solve. They are not. The best thing that Big Government can do to help the economy is to do nothing at all. Regarding the salvation of the automobile companies – there are few people less competent to try to order these companies into success than government in general and the Federal Government in particular. Even if there are people who think that it is somehow constitutional for Big Government to take over private companies and set their policies and standards – which it is not – it is laughable to imagine that Big Government has more know-how to run a company than a businessman does.

“Yeah, but look at the automobile companies – they are failing. The free market doesn’t work!” some will bray.

Incorrect. The free market will only work when it is free. Failing companies will fail. Better companies will emerge. This is the way of America, free enterprise, liberty, and competition in the business world. Start a better car company that makes better cars and I will buy one when I need my next car. This business of making me spend my tax dollars that you took from me to “bail out” companies that have proven to be a bad risk is not my idea of a good investment. Rewarding incompetence with the money of the competent is the quickest way to guarantee that only the incompetent survive. 

Big Government should stick to government stuff. As for me the consumer, just leave me alone and let me buy my car from whichever company that I think is best. Things will resolve themselves. The economy will be fine if you just let it work. Plus, we won’t have another trillion dollars of new debt wasted on companies that should have just gone out of business – and likely will anyway.