Most Fatal Addiction for Society? Addiction to Government

In a totalitarian society, all social functions are performed by government agencies and bureaucracies. Individual initiative and entrepreneurship do not exist -- there is no place for independent thought or action under totalitarian regimes. So what happens when totalitarian countries go cold turkey, and dump their dictatorships and replace them with choice? Most of the formerly totalitarian countries shrink rapidly -- perhaps eventually to nothing. Like a drug addict who does not know what to do without his drug.

America was once rich in independent thought and action, prosperous in entrepreneurship and economic activity. But as government has taken over progressively more of the functions of society, independent initiative inevitably atrophies and dies.

A direct result of increasing dependence on government is that the self-reliance that was such a fundamental aspect of the American culture for generations has been eroding. And that value of self-reliance was a major driver of our entrepreneurial nature as Americans. _CSM

People who make their lives in government are not likely to understand what drives entrepreneurial activity. So they are unlikely to institute policies which encourage the economic activity which is the lifeblood of a prosperous nation.

Contrary to President Obama's view, the crucial factor for improving life in every society has been private enterprise, individuals who seek to uplift their lives and those of others. Entrepreneurship is neither created nor nurtured by government, nor reserved to the privileged; it springs from individuals and can be found even in the poorest communities in countries worldwide. _IBD

One of the most recent examples of government destruction of the private sector and private enterprise is the Dodd-Frank Act, which was hailed by Obama Pelosi as the salvation of the US economy.

...the worst thing about the CFPB is not the costs it will impose on the economy, the innovation it will stifle, or the small businesses it will eliminate. The worst thing about this agency is that it will operate independently, without any control by the Fed, Congress, or the president....Moreover, all this power is concentrated in a single person, the director of the CFPB. Even the Fed, with all its independence, is ultimately governed by a board with a bipartisan membership. The establishment of an agency with this scope of authority, under the direction of a single person removable only for cause, outside the control of Congress or the president, is an unprecedented and--I might say--an irresponsible act, which Congress will eventually come to regret. _AEI

A fatal flaw in the legislation, certainly. But only one of many fatal flaws contained within the Dodd-Frank Act -- and the Dodd-Frank Act is only one of many fatally flawed acts of recent government, which strip the private sector of independence and make every economic enterprise from top to bottom hopelessly dependent upon government agency and caprice.

You should be able to understand why the hard times are only beginning for the US, and the parts of the world that have been dependent upon the US in some way or another -- which is almost the entire world. Any thoughts you may have had about a "return to normal", or any type of normal economic recovery should be flushed down the pipes by reality.

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.