Where have you gone Milton Freidman, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you.... ...(to the tune of Mrs. Robinson)

As  Milton Friedman instructed Phil Donahue, 1979...

"The great achievements in civilization have not come from government bureaus.  Einstein did not construct his theory on order from a bureaucrat.  Henry Ford did not revolutionize the auto industry that way....

In the only cases in which the masses have escaped the kind of grinding poverty.....in recorded history, is where they have had capitalism and largely free trade..

The record of history is clear,  There is no alternative way....of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleashed by the Free Enterprise System."

Milton Freidman said that as a guest on the Phil Donahue show back in 1979.  The discussion held that day, between Dr. Freidman and Phil,  could be one conducted today. What should the Government be?  Move over Phil Donahue...and let Barack Obama have a seat .  Class is now in session.

Should we have bailed out Chrysler? (Today GM, Wall Street, et al)  Should government 'mandate' us to do things it deems to be in the self interest of the individual? ( The case  then was seat belts, now it is health insurance)

We are now 3 decades past that interview. The conditions are more critical now....  we are at the watershed.  Americans must decide.

Which 'invisible hand'  do we prefer?  The one referred to by Adam Smith and Milton Friedman?  A 'hand' that acts as people act for themselves?  An arrangement in which individuals, in an effort to improve themselves financially, provide goods and services or improve goods and services, to the betterment of all.  Or, another type of  'invisible hand' ?  One which is in your pocket and extracts money for use by the government, as the government sees fit?

If Obama was seated next to Dr. Freidman, Milton might ask the same questions he did 33 years ago.....

Mr. Obama.....

Why is t OK to accumulate Political Capital...but not okay to accumulate Economic Capital? 

Why is it assumed to be true that Political self interest is nobler than Economic self interest?

If Free Markets are to be replaced ...exactly what is to be the replacement? A bureaucracy ... an agency.... deciding price and distribution of capital? 

According to Mr. Obama, government built the dams and the bridges...

No, they only permitted and arranged.  Obama seems to dismiss the fact that dams aren't built by the government, but by construction companies that were created by individuals.  Government merely extracts money from one group of people to give to another ... in this case the construction companies to build a dam...the Hoover dam...or the Golden Gate bridge.  There is no government Bridge Building Company nor a government Dam Building Company.  There are private  companies, outside of government ....owned and operated by people...for corporations ARE people...owned by people.  Did I just say that?

If only Barack Obama had grown up at the knee of Milton Freidman rather than Frank Davis....