In the shadow of Friday’s Senate vote, I’m reminded of the words of two of the heroes of the Democratic Party; words that speak to the heart of this massive government intrusion into our lives known as the economic stimulus bill. In his inaugural address to the nation, President John F. Kennedy stated, “Ask not what your country can do for you….” Though he was not specifically addressing the type of economic difficulties we are facing today, those words echo with prophetic meaning in light of Friday’s decision. That famous quote underlies what is my great concern with the stimulus bill: that the plan looks to the government to bail us out of this mess—a government, by the way, that was largely responsible for creating the mess. I can’t figure out why so many are buying into the president’s belief that only the government’s intervention can save this economy.

Back in January, President Obama stated “…at this particular moment, only government can provide the short-term boost necessary to lift us from a recession this deep and severe. Only government can break the vicious cycles that are crippling our economy…” Where does this thought come from? Consider the track record of this government he is counting on so passionately. How well have they managed the billions of dollars in the Social Security Fund? The system is approaching bankruptcy. How well did they handle relief distribution during Hurricane Katrina? Miserably, when you consider, for example, that one individual collected 18 emergency payments of $2000 each by giving the same name with 18 different Social Security numbers. How effectively does Washington spend our tax money? In 2003, the Department of the Treasury reported that “unreconciled transactions” (funds that couldn’t be accounted for) totaled $24.5 billion. Yet this is the same government that every Democrat (and unfortunately, three Republicans) in the House and Senate, and our new President, wants to put in charge of hundreds of billions of dollars sent to them by hardworking Americans.

I love the governmental system in place in America—I believe deeply that we are a shining example to the rest of the world. But the federal government is at its best when it sticks to its Constitutionally-defined limited duties. President Obama and his partners in the House and Senate are calling on our government to do far, far more than it was ever designed to do, using your money to do it.

I recognize that President Obama has acknowledged that American workers are “…the most productive on earth,” and that he has stated that the true fix lies in the hands of business, but why is he so willing to write off the ability of these workers and businesses to conquer this economic slowdown without an over-intrusion of Washington? Why is he so willing to imply that you and I can’t do it without the big hand of the federal government gripping us?

How much more effective would it be if he used his influence and position to cheer on the millions of workers and encourage us that we have within us the means to get through this difficult time? To remind us that for hundreds of years it’s been the sweat and toil of the American worker, working in a society free from entanglement of government, that has built our economy into the greatest in the world. To encourage us that better days are ahead—not that we’re in for a long-term mess unless he steps in to save the day.

Has the president forgotten the words of FDR: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself?” His campaign for this package has been built largely on fear: fear that things are going to get worse; fear that more and more of us are going to lose our jobs; fear that if he and his government stallions don’t step in, the “vicious cycle” will only get worse. Being realistic is one thing—being fatalistic seems to be either an incredible attempt to manipulate the public into accepting a wasteful bill or a great mistrust in the people’s ability to rebound.

Why doesn’t he understand the valuable boost he could provide by saying that he believes in us enough to get government out of the way by lowering taxes for all workers, letting us keep more of our money, and trusting us to work, invest and spend wisely, and pump our money into the economy as we see fit, not as Uncle Sam deems best? I long to hear the president say, “We’ll do what we do best—keep you safe from harm, keep our country’s infrastructure solid—the rest is up to you, not up to Washington.” Can you imagine what the market would do with a speech like that? I am convinced we would see the reverse of the 430 point plunge the DOW took last week.

A brief look at history is all it takes to see that a reduction in government intrusion (taxes) and a trust in our amazing free-market economy is what boosted the economy in the 80’s with the Reagan tax cuts and in 2001 and 2003 with the Bush tax cuts. And please don’t buy the lie that it was these policies that led to our current problems—this situation was brought about by a whole series of events (beyond the scope of this article) that had nothing to do with tax cuts or supply and demand economics.

In his inauguration speech, President Obama said, “The question isn’t if the government is too big or too small, but will it help….” No, Mr. President, the primary question is whether the government is too big—and it is. If we truly believe that the American worker is the answer to economic success, do we really need the government spending billions of these workers’ hard-earned dollars to try to help the same workers earn back that hard-earned money? Do we need Congress creating jobs that are funded with our tax money or would we be better off if government got out of the way, got out of our pockets, and let us prosper without their interference?

It seems to me that the common sense approach to this financial situation is to let the very people who earn the money that keeps America running keep more of their money; to relieve the already-heavy tax burden; and to let them spend and invest that money in our economy instead of in our government—a government that has proven over and over again that it has great difficulty managing the money entrusted to it. I believe we workers may surprise many on the Washington Hill by doing for our country what our government simply can’t, and isn’t supposed to, do.

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