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This is not to say that berets will be all the rage this spring, or that Obama has promised a croissant in every toaster oven. But the simple fact of the matter is that the political conversation, which shifts from time to time, has shifted anew, and for the foreseeable future Americans will be more engaged with questions about how to manage a mixed economy than about whether we should have one.

The architect of this new era of big government? History has a sense of humor, for the man who laid the foundations for the world Obama now rules is George W. Bush, who moved to bail out the financial sector last autumn with $700 billion.

Bush brought the Age of Reagan to a close; now Obama has gone further, reversing Bill Clinton's end of big government. The story, as always, is complicated. Polls show that Americans don't trust government and still don't want big government. They do, however, want what government delivers, like health care and national defense and, now, protections from banking and housing failure. During the roughly three decades since Reagan made big government the enemy and "liberal" an epithet, government did not shrink. It grew. But the economy grew just as fast, so government as a percentage of GDP remained about the same. Much of that economic growth was real, but for the past five years or so, it has borne a suspicious resemblance to Bernie Madoff's stock fund. Americans have been living high on borrowed money (the savings rate dropped from 7.6 percent in 1992 to less than zero in 2005) while financiers built castles in the air.

Now comes the reckoning. The answer may indeed be more government. In the short run, since neither consumers nor business is likely to do it, the government will have to stimulate the economy. And in the long run, an aging population and global warming and higher energy costs will demand more government taxing and spending. The catch is that more government intrusion in the economy will almost surely limit growth (as it has in Europe, where a big welfare state has caused chronic high unemployment). Growth has always been America's birthright and saving grace.

The Obama administration is caught in a paradox. It must borrow and spend to fix a crisis created by too much borrowing and spending. Having pumped the economy up with a stimulus, the president will have to cut the growth of entitlement spending by holding down health care and retirement costs and still invest in ways that will produce long-term growth. Obama talks of the need for smart government. To get the balance between America and France right, the new president will need all the smarts he can summon.

© 2009

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Member Comments

  • Posted By: allmhuran @ 11/19/2009 4:43:47 PM

    The Bush administration was not Conservative. We all know this much. It was globalist. Just like the current one. Yes we are on the verge of becoming like a European state. If you're a Bible believer it's suppose to end up that way. As we draw closer to Copenhagen prepare for the end of usa sovereignty. A one world government awaits us. You will temporarily bow to a higher authority. Not God's. As prohecised in the Book of Daniel the 4th and final kingdom is rising. And so be it. Mankind has done a horrible job managing this place since the garden of Eden. The kingdom of God on earth will follow for those whose names are written in the book of life. This planet belongs to God not humanity.

  • Posted By: albalma @ 10/31/2009 7:31:33 PM

    It seems like in the U.S. there's a lot of people trying to make the government fail. They must be having tremendous issues against their own country if they support ideas like what Fox News is spreading all over. Opinions without support, factoids without any connection to reality, suppressive sociopaths with no other visible aim but destroying what once was the leader of the free world.

    The only reason the U.S. is the power it is today is because the people understood what a community means; people appreciating others and paying better salaries is what has made it what it is. Without social conscience there would not be a country here. The U.S. was the first widely spread socialist country in the world, there lies it's strength and success.

    Those going against people helping each other are going against the future of this country. They fail to understand what this country is all about. It almost seems like the Republicans are the new Confederate Army trying to get some revenge over the civil war. They are being Anti-Americans disguising their attacks as patriotism, when they really don't have any allegiances other than their own pockets and those of the ones that buy their time for greed or maybe something more sinister.

    Critical thinking and social conscience is what this country needs every one of its citizens to have, choking ideas, whether deemed "liberal", "socialist" or whatever you want to call them is a disservice to this country, which was founded on the very principles these "newscasters" are trying to eliminate: freedom of thinking, freedom of expression and tolerance for other's ideas. That's what the U.S. is about, respecting others no matter what (color, race, creed or ideals included).

    So I'd tell Fox News and Rush Limbaugh (is that French or something?), to get on the side of We The People (that's right, not we the companies) and start supporting ideas that are good for everyone, instead of trying to kill everything that has made this country what it is, their country too, no matter how much they may hate it or the people within it.

  • Posted By: Fernadez @ 09/22/2009 6:28:11 AM

    With Regards to Health-Care,Many don't have Constructive debates about The Facts and Realties that affected millions of Americans.

    What they're offering are destructive competition seeks to benefit an individual/group/organism by damaging and/or eliminating competing individuals, groups and/or organisms; it opposes the desire for mutual survival. It is "winner takes all" the rationale being that the challenge is a zero-sum game; the success of one group is dependent on the failure of the other competing groups. Destructive competition tends to promote fear, a "strike-first" mentality and embraces certain forms of trespass.

    What American needs a Healthy Debates that reflected on REAL cheaper,smarter business alternatives market,NOT polital motivated market.that monopoly about the facts.

    The Facts : American Needs Contructive and Real Market Competition to make Health-Care more affortable and Cheap to all Americans,If this not an option practices,then the truth all americans are at losing game on everything,Not even with a Good Policy,or Good judgement Senate or Good President can do much.

    Thru my experienced working abroad,convinced me that on my agrument about the reality of Facts that Americans are at downhill of his lifes,not only on his Health-Care,but everything in life,.

    Let me bring example how we are losing out to compete in real market practice,,according to director of public relations and marketing,Mr Geoff Moss,a medical tourism company set up in 2002,sends more than 3,000 patients a year overseas,"Singapore 's values proposition is medical innovation,especially stem cells,plus there are state of the art doctors and facilities 'said Mr Moss.

    One is Ms Suzzane Rakow,who recently had a tumor removed at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre,after being diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.The treatment would have cost her an estimated US1000,000 in US,Her Singapore trip-including flying over,her stay and treatment costs come to just under US30,000.

    "so I saved US70,000,in all she said",her time in singapore included a two week holiday in Bali during a month break between surgery and starting radiation treatment"

    One reason for their confidence in seeking treatment in Asia is the stamp of Qualification these Hospitals have accured with JCI accreditation,JCI or Joint Commission International,accredits hospitals that meet the quality of care expected of good hospital in United States.All 15 Hoispital in Singapore have such credentials.WHO rated singapore on world wide standing as 6th position .while US at 37 position on Health-Care..Thats the Fact wheither you like or Not!

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