Yesterday, virtually any of you who listened to talk radio at
all must have heard the CNN interview with a distressed Hillary
supporter after the primetime speech at the convention.
One thing that particularly struck me was the woman's insistence
that Hillary was going to give us the jobs and the
economy we deserve. Every time I get wobbly on the
entitlement state (because I'm a bleeding heart conservative),
something like this comes along to stiffen my spine.
When will people come to understand that a president is not like
some wizard pulling levers and producing a great economy? I can
recall President Clinton acting as if the Paula and Monica scandals
were somehow preventing him from keeping the American economy on
track. Folks, it ain't like that. The economy represents the
creation of value and productivity of efforts by American citizens
in a system of relatively free exchange. The government is not
doing the work.
Can the government facilitate? Yes. Can it occasionally make a very
good and well-supported public works investment? Clearly. But the
influence the government has is all at the margins. Not at the
core. If you want the jobs and the economy you deserve, then find
the people who are innovating, find the people who are generating
value. Join them and forget politics, which is all too often a
parasitical activity in an era of big government.
