Despite the constant drumbeat for government intrusion into the private sector, good ol’ American self-reliance shows signs of life. Take the following series of letters responding to the recent U.S. News cover story on the return of big government.

Your cover headline states: “Americans want Uncle Sam to solve their
problems.” You are absolutely correct. The American people have been
brainwashed into believing that socialism is better than the
free-enterprise system. Many feel that they are due benefits from the
government and have found that representatives will tap the nation’s
treasury for their gain in the form of so-called entitlements. Through
the Constitution, the founders gave us one basic entitlement, and that
is freedom. It has been said that democracies last only until the
“voters discover that they can vote themselves largess from the public
treasury.” Financial collapse and a totalitarian form of government
follow it. We are approaching that time frame.

Bill Piper
Jennings, Fla.

 

Why is it that every politician, from the president to county
commissioner, promises programs and subsidization to get elected? If we
keep bailing out everyone and everything for the mistakes that they
have made, then what lessons will they ever learn? Politicians have
duped Americans into believing that the government can fix their
problems, and they will live better as a result. Politicians should say
“No,” the one word that is hard for them.

Mark Schliewe
Jacksonville, N.C.

 

The problems we are facing are not the effects of a small government
unable to deal with issues brought about by a Brave New World. What we
have is a government that is failing at a number of tasks. Size is a
nonissue. On the cusp of another president taking command, let us not
forget that President Bush has had more powers bestowed upon him than
any other public official in the last quarter century. The argument
could even be made that this president is the most powerful we’ve ever
had. Still, most Americans believe the country is on the wrong track.
Big government is not the panacea people are hoping for. Neither is
small government, necessarily. Instead, the American people have to
focus on creating a responsible government that can actually do the job.

John Overocker
Perry Hall, Md.