I would like to address many of the false assumptions and poor arguments that are found in Jacob Shelly's latest column, "Feds' big hand a welcome guide." Mr. Shelly has a rather selective view of history when he brings up emancipation, the Great Depression and school desegregation.
First, the government funded and supported the institution of slavery for the entirety of the colonial period. Emancipation was a correction of this atrocity. Next, the idea that big government ended the Great Depression is questionable at best. The late Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman, as well as the current Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, acknowledge that it is likely the Federal Reserve prolonged the Great Depression due to mismanagement of the money supply. Finally, school segregation is another example of the government failure to protect individual rights. The correction of this oppression should not be seen as a victory for big government.
Mr. Shelly goes on to call Iraq a "libertarian utopia." This comment is intellectually dishonest. Iraq is an example of anarchy, not limited government. The policies of President Bush and the GOP in no way reflect the traditional platform of conservatives and libertarians. Bush's presidency has seen the greatest increase in government spending since LBJ's Great Society. No true conservative would find this favorable. Furthermore, Mr. Shelly contradicts himself when he fails to realize that it is the very nature of big government to waste tax dollars. Huge bureaucracies are prone to waste because there is no accountability in their actions.
It appears that Mr. Shelly forgets the founding fathers created a constitutional republic in order to limit centralized power. No rational person is going to argue against the role of government in safety standards, sanitation and a basic level of care for the sick and elderly. However, this does not translate into support for every government program intended to help people. Having a big government isn't so bad when it is supporting policies you agree with, but when the tables are turned, it will not be so favorable.
Stephen Meli Junior, School of Public Affairs
