The history of economic progress throughout the world provides irrefutable evidence that the economic well-being of ordinary citizens is closely correlated to the relative degree of freedom in markets and the relative lack of government planning and spending. To argue that government direction and allocation of resources will produce better results is to ignore history and the general understanding of how markets function. Let us put aside why politicians and various intellectuals prefer to have government allocate these resources and otherwise try to direct our lives in intrusive ways. It should be obvious to all that, from an economic standpoint,...