Posted on 08/31/2009 7:01:27 PM PDT by GOPlibertarian
Kennedy thought government could solve all of our problems
By Sheldon Richman
Last update: August 30, 2009 - 11:17 AM
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy is gone. No one in the last 40 years stood as a larger symbol of “liberalism,” the view that government is the answer for everything. A great deal has been said in recent days about his compassion and generosity. But bear in mind that in public life, his compassion consisted in spending other people's money and authorizing government bureaucracies to interfere with the social cooperation that takes place whenever life, liberty, and property are respected.
We may grant his good intentions, but intentions can’t repeal the laws of economics, and insisting they can only causes harm, especially to the people one was trying to help.
...
Uncharacteristically, Kennedy glimpsed this truth in the late 1970s. It was he who spearheaded the congressional move to deregulate commercial air travel and trucking. Until then, government bureaucracies strictly regulated both routes and rates, inflating the price of travel and every product carried by truck. Kennedy apparently realized that this system of privilege for politically influential businesses harmed most people by prohibiting competition. As a result, the Civil Aeronautics Board and the Interstate Commerce Commission (the oldest federal regulatory agency) disappeared — to the benefit of the public.
Unfortunately, Kennedy never applied this principle to health care or much else. To lower prices and better serve consumers, government didn’t have to run the airlines or the trucking companies, or create a “public option.” It just needed to get out of the way.
It's the same for health care. Too bad Kennedy died before understanding that.
Sheldon Richman is policy advisor to The Future of Freedom Foundation (www.fff.org) and editor of The Freeman magazine.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
That seems to be the main dividing line between libs and conservatives today: the continuum of Help-or-hinder. Does the government Help or Hinder on such & such issue? Is Guvmint part of the problem or part of the solution? Libs say help/Solution, conservatives say hinder/Problem.
50 years in government keep Ted employed until his dying day. No layoffs for him, no pay cut, no transfer.
It kept him out of prison on a murder charge.
It kept his wealth safe from government taxes.
But then the Politburo have it better than the rest of us.
Ted Kennedy is dead where he belongs.
Ted Kennedy’s politics = buying votes.
“Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.”
— Ronald Reagan
And his dream of health care for all is failing miserably, in his own state! Deval Patrick is cutting health care for LEGAL immigrants in Massachusetts. Part of the legacy, I guess.
Not surprising since Kennedy thought money grew on trees. He never had to work a day in his life and didn't know the value of anything.
Anytime someone believes that it is possible to create a Utopian society, whether it be democracy or dictatorship, it is doomed to failure with the result that society will suffer as a whole. Government will NEVER be able to solve any of our problems, because government is run by sinful and finite creatures. There is nothing more detrimental to a society than do-gooders. They are people that believe that they know what is best for other people, and that people are incapable of choosing what is best for themselves.
Such is the hope of the atheist.
Man is all there is (hic) all there is and the pinnacle of man is the organization of the best among him (read Harvard) to govern that poor misguided soul (hic).
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy is gone. No one in the last 40 years stood as a larger symbol of “liberalism,” the view that government is the answer for everything.Baraq 0bama is now the uncontested symbol of Liberalism and government encroachment.
Liberalism is mental masturbation for those whose reality is endowed by trust funds.
So that's why he backed the Big Dig?
(now that he's dead, can the Cape Cod Tunnel be revealed - and named for him?)
A tunnel? I guess that being underwater would be appropriate.
OH Yeah. It's also a reference to a Mass/Cape Cod/WWII/Cuban Missile Crisis "rumor" and "conspiracy".
A way for those in 'power' to vacation on the 'spit' and be able to get back to the mainland while avoiding the bottlenecks of the two bridges (Bourne and Sagamore).
The "Tunnel" has 'secret exits/entrances' onto the narrow highways well off of the "QUOTE" highways (and rotary/s). [Construction of the rotary/s were controversial due to the Russian Nuc threat]
One of the prolonging reasons for the tunnel's existence was the base at Otis AFB. It was somewhat used as a "SAC" base, mostly, to my knowledge as support (9/11 chase planes launched from there)
Thoughts were that when the roads were clogged, those that were in power would be transported to Otis AFB (Logan airport would be shut down/overloaded and prime target anyway).
It also stems from the fact that libs can't stand the idea that they're not important. Behind practically every lib is the desire to be seen as helping someone. We can see from the disasters of The Great Society what all that "helping" did. Libs can't see that... which is why they're condemned to travel down the road they travel...hopefully to obscurity. They've never understood the phrase: the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
VIDEO: Michelle Obama Falls Asleep During Ted Kennedy Funeral
YouTube | August 30, 2009 | bucksright
Posted on 08/31/2009 7:12:55 PM PDT by PJ-Comix
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2329105/posts
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.