Many fine comments from Richard in Texas and
others !
One mentioned the real issue of the article, i.e. entitlements. Oh Yes !
Remember the communists' "New Soviet Man" ?
Social engineering really do change people over
time. I hail from one of Europe's Welfare States, but escaped before it swollowed me too as it did my friends and family. When government people take over the role of planner, provider, "safety net", leader in all
things, educator and nanny, the people - most of them - will eventually suffer from A.D.
(Arrested Development).
But unlike the U.S., the Europeans have never
known freedom like we have, as they always have had kings, fuehrers, warlords and dictators and
thus are much easier to...

Before Mr. Ryan advocates for a VAT, I do hope he consults with a true economist, like Dr.
Walter E. Williams of George Mason U. I have
worked and lived in two European countries with
VAT. NO Thank you !
If our government had followed the Constitution,
which they take an oath to uphold, would we then have this discussion at all ?

Thanks for the article. May readers also take
a look at this piece by a professor who knew
Gorbachov, Yuri Maltsev :

http://mises.org/daily/3105

I could also be mentioned that Gorbachov became
the President of the International Greens (La
Croix Vert International - website) another
environmental organization whose goal is to
cripple business and make life expensive for
the rest of us.

Boozing it up in the White House may not be a good idea, but I say lay off Obama's smoking
habits. People have gone "postal" on flights for
not being able to smoke...and Obama is close to
the Red Button.

Nina

Good column ! Darren, yes the Romans had sub-
sidized wheat, among other goodies. I just
finished re-reading Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" - she saw this coming and how !
I admire people like you, but what would the
politicians and the bureaucrats do without you ?
You work, they steal, confiscate, rule and regulate. Who needs who ? Time for a general
strike ?

While she is a pleasant and festy person,
there is one lady in Congress who has
more depth and intelligence, Michelle
Bachmann.
While most of us are "average", does that mean
that we will vote for someone we can understand
while the more intelligent person is ignored
based on envy or plain lack of guts? The latter
is what Ms. Bachmann has quite a lot of.
It was hilarious when she asked Geitner where
in the Constitution he got the authority to do
what he was doing (bailouts). No reply from him.

Thank you Dr. Williams for another fine piece of work.
Oh, if we only had a President like you - a real economist and a defender of the Constitution !

What would it take ? People what say you ?

Trude Blomsoy