Curmudgeon's Corner

Federal Usurpation

Posted by Al Campbell on March 31, 2010

Economy, Healthcare, Political, Quality of Life, Taxes, U.S., Wisconsin

The federal government is taking on more and more of the functions that have heretofore involved solely, or mostly, the private sector.  Those changes are coming at a rapid pace as if to avoid giving us time to react and respond.

The student loan business has just been wiped out for the private sector and the government will now decide who qualifies for what and when.  That has the potential for onerous outcomes.  If the government can decide who the favored group is, it can dictate behavior, and it can force adherence to whatever the new rule set requires.

This was included as a small part of the Health Care Reform bill package, and the president spoke glowingly of his accomplishment at having taken over student lending and of ‘saving’ the people so much money as the result.

Virtually the only growth industries at the moment are the federal government and the state governments.  This sector is growing and gaining more and more clout.  Governments don’t seem to ever get smaller; they only seem to get larger.  Larger government structures cost us more and more.  Another growth industry, in terms of employment, at this time is the health care industry.  That, of course, is artificially stimulated by all the new patients they’ll begin to see in 2014.

It is concerning to see the rate at which President Obama is staking claim to controlling ever-increasing aspects of the private sector.  He is on a roll and shows no signs that his ‘acquisition’ program is anywhere near an end point.

Those who believe that government does a better job than the private sector does are, no doubt, happy as can be at this time.  Those of us who view the United States and the world through a conservative prism are justifiably concerned with this federal usurpation.