The Government Sucks at Most Things

By Alan Caruba

On the eve before Daylight Savings Time, I managed to break a wall clock in the process of trying to grasp it to “spring ahead.” It crashed to a counter top and gave up the ghost. I then went online to Staples and 24 hours later I had a new wall clock. We take such efficiency for granted these days.

In the midst of the heated debate over healthcare “reform”, we need to remind ourselves of how superior the private sector is to our now bloated, wasteful, and inefficient government. The bill that the Democrats and the president are desperately trying to foist on Americans is a nightmare to be avoided at all costs.

Recently I received a comparison between Wal-Mart and the U.S. government. Candidly, I do not know the source of the information provided, but I am inclined to believe it.

“Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart every hour of every day. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot, Kroger, Target, Sears, Costco, and K-Mart combined. It employs 1.6 million people and is the nation’s largest private employer. It is the largest company in the history of the world.”

“Wal-Mart has approximately 3,906 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are super centers. This is more than 1,000 than it had a scant five years ago.”

If the economy is in trouble, maybe the people who run Wal-Mart should be consulted instead of the 535 members of Congress who appear to not only be utterly clueless, but who have assisted Obama in running up the largest budget deficit in American history.

This is not a Democrat, Republican or independent problem. It is a government problem starting with the federal government and mimicked by state governments who have also spent themselves into penury.

Consider the following examples.

The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. It had 234 years to get it right, but it is broke.

Social Security was established in 1935. It has had 74 years to get it right, but it is broke.

Fannie Mae was established in 1938 to underwrite the provision of mortgages so that everyone could own a home. It has had 71 years to get it right and it is broke. As the result of the financial meltdown, the government had to seize control of it.

The War on Poverty started in 1964 and has 45 years to presumably eliminate poverty. $1 trillion in public funds is allocated to “the poor” every year and there is no evidence they are any less poor.

The Department of Energy was created in 1977 allegedly to lesson the nation’s dependence on foreign, imported oil. It has since ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year. The U.S. imports more oil than ever before because the U.S. government forbids exploration and extraction on 85% of the nation’s continental shelf. It forbids the same in ANWR. It has had 32 years to address the need and it is an abysmal failure.

Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. They have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.

There aren’t that many things that the government does well or does right. Meanwhile, the private sector, corporations and small business enterprises continue to innovate and provide products and services with remarkable efficiency. Both are heavily taxed. U.S. taxes on corporations are the second highest in the world.

Right now, Americans have to ensure that a Democrat-controlled Congress does not pass a 2,700 page Medicare “reform” because our lives are literally on the line if they do.

After that, the government has to stop wasting billions to create jobs because the only jobs it creates are government jobs.

It’s not like we the People can escape responsibility for this. A majority of voters elected these morons.

© Alan Caruba, 2010