Government is No Solution for Bad Economy

 

By Bradley Blakeman
Newsmax.com

The greatness of America rests not in our government, it rests in our people. We should not be growing government in trying times; we should be unleashing the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of our businessmen and women, our scientists, our students, and our inventors.

Growing government to somehow make up for the lost productivity of the private sector makes no sense. Now is the time for government to be cutting costs and reducing spending. Our lawmakers should be cutting taxes and providing incentives to the marketplace for investment and ingenuity.

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The president should call for a 10 percent across-the-board cut in bureaucracy spending including the military. If a cabinet member refuses to find the cuts, then they should be removed. There is no good excuse for the government not to be responsible in good times, in bad times and all times.

Likewise, businesses that have been mismanaged should fail. Businesses that need to reorganize under bankruptcy laws, should do so. Government bailouts are not the answer. Our laws are for everyone, the corporation, and the individual. The big. The small — and everything in between.

Our government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers by providing taxpayer funds to finance greedy, corrupt or incompetent businesses and practices.

The Obama administration’s “investment” of public monies in failed businesses like Solyndra, Ener1, and others are yet further examples of misguided and incompetent leadership.

People and corporations must be held accountable for their behavior, including but not limited to their business decisions. There must be more than a sense of responsibility. It must be real and it must be accounted for. There must be consequences.

For those who have violated the public trust, they should be brought to justice and for those who have acted incompetently, they should be removed.

The marketplace is resilient. We will come back stronger economically if Wall Street and Main Street operate on the same rules and principles.

Now is the time for sacrifice, but out of sacrifice we will be a stronger nation. We have all lost something of value in these times of economic downturn. But, there is nothing more valuable than our collective spirit and that is still intact and unwavering.

The American people can solve any problem and overcome any diversity. My message to my government is simple: Let my people go! Get out of our way and lighten our load and we will come back stronger than ever.

The formula for a full and robust economic recovery lies in leadership, and policies that restore confidence and surety to the marketplace as well as to the households of Americans.

We are all in this together and the only pathway back to economic prosperity is a United States. Pitting American against each other is never the answer.

In this election year, Obama will plead that he inherited a mess and that our problems — from joblessness to energy, to debt are not his fault. He will blame the rich for not paying enough of their “fair share” and Republicans for rejecting to cooperate with his agenda.

Republicans, in order to beat an incumbent president, must set forth a contrast between what Barack Obama promised and what he delivered. More importantly however, they must articulate a set of policies that will solve the problems of joblessness, debt, and high-energy prices while restoring confidence and security to the overall economy.

In the end, the American people will demand accountability. It is not about blaming. It is about results.

The question 2012 will turn on is a very simple one: Am I better off today than I was four years ago?

It is common sense that any household could not survive if it were run the way our government runs itself. Now is the time to get back to basics and govern by example instead of by exception.

Bradley A. Blakeman served as deputy assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001-04. He is currently a professor of Politics and Public Policy at Georgetown University and a frequent contributor to Fox News Opinion. Read more reports from Bradley Blakeman — Click Here Now.

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