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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
July 23, 2009
/ 2 Menachem-Av 5769
Big Government Medicine
By
Victor Davis Hanson
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Big new taxes. Big new spending. Big new government. This seems to be the proposed cure for the Wall Street-inspired recession.
The government now runs major banks and companies, and plans to take control of the American health-care system. And it aims to tax how energy in the United States is used to monitor carbon use.
But wait! Recent financial rescue and stimulus plans, together with other new government initiatives, have already led to the largest dollar deficits in American history, projected to be near $2 trillion at fiscal year's end.
Before some of these new proposals are even enacted, public spending will eat up 45 percent of our gross domestic product the largest percentage in our history except for the war years 1943-45. And in two years or even less our national debt will soar to 100 percent of GDP. Yet the pie shrinks even as we promise to serve more slices.
Recent Rasmussen and Politico polls show that voters still like the embattled President Obama but not so much his new policies on the stimulus, cap-and-trade and further regulations on business. Why?
First, our present troubles were not just a result of Wall Street's undeniable graft, and bigger government isn't necessarily the proper cure.
The incompetence of the government-run Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae staffed by greedy Washington political insiders and overseen by blowhard politicians like Barney Frank first triggered the September 2008 meltdown. If the present growth in government regulation is a response to avaricious bankers and investors, what is the proper antidote to the chicanery of the government-run Freddie and Fannie?
Second, well over 40 percent of American households now do not pay federal income taxes and so traditionally don't mind getting more entitlements that they don't have to pay for. But that could change soon.
With such staggering deficits, it's becoming more difficult to believe that Obama can keep his campaign promise that 95 percent of taxpayers will not have to pay new taxes. There just are not enough wealthy sheep to shear despite an array of new federal, payroll and state taxes.
Third, for all the spread-the-wealth talk, the new government overseers do not think the rules apply to themselves. News accounts highlight the expensive entertainment, dining and clothing tastes of the First Couple. Remember, also, that our Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, who oversees the Internal Revenue Service, avoided thousands of dollars of his own tax obligations. So did some in Congress like Rep. Charles Rangel, head of the House Ways and Means Committee, and a number of others nominated to the president's Cabinet.
In other words, we typically are not seeing big-government grandees with lifestyles to match their populist rhetoric.
Fourth, it's hard to accept the notion that the government can do things better than the private sector. If the government controls health care, will doctors' waiting rooms soon resemble the dreaded Department of Motor Vehicles offices? Will cap-and-trade bureaucrats daily monitor our life-giving electricity-producing plants to ensure they don't have too large a carbon footprint?
Finally, even after the financial meltdown, history is still running against collectivism. Communism self-imploded. Socialism doesn't work in Venezuela. Even in the midst of bank collapses, European statist governments are moving rightward, not more to the left.
It's clear that Americans are mad at Wall Street crooks and corporate elites who took mega bonuses despite falling profits. But why does that mean the government, in its quest for more regulation, now targets job-producing small and family businesses with steep new taxes and health-care regulations?
In other words, the medicine of big government is even worse than the original disease on Wall Street, and the falling polls for the president's initiatives show the American people are catching on to this.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Victor Davis Hanson, a classicist and military historian, is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and a recipient of the 2007 National Humanities Medal. Comment by clicking here.
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