Bravo for Kevin Hassett and the many other writers who have attempted to give Americans the truth about the financial crisis — it would not have happened but for politicians monkeying around with the financial (and especially mortage) markets. The gold star goes to the person or group that manages to clear away all the blather and communicate that to the electorate.
The Democrats prance around saying that they are the party of “the little guy” while the Republicans posture as the party of fiscal responsibility and free enterprise. The fact is that both are captive to interest groups that rely on politics to get what they can’t get through voluntary action. Both are mostly syndicalist parties, with considerable overlap in the interests they favor.
A most enlightening book in this regard is Timothy Carney’s The Big Ripoff, which I reviewed here. The author surveys the landscape of government programs backed by Republicrats, including Fannie Mae. “Little guys” and free enterprise proponents alike should applaud if any politician said, “Let’s get rid of all this stuff.”
