In his post-presidential years, George W. Bush has generally avoided getting involved in the daily political scene, instead focusing on private and philanthropic endeavors from his home base in Texas. Today, however, President Bush delivered one of his rare public policy speeches at the George W. Bush Presidential Center's conference on "Tax Policies for 4 Percent Growth" in New York City. Besides a bit of self-deprecating humor and personal reminiscing on the privilege of being commander-in-chief, the former president also offered up some wise words on the current "fairness"/"tax the rich" policy debate.
Sans any phony intellectual eloquence, President Bush perfectly articulated one of my all-time favorite ideas: that a free market is the best, least encumbered, truest form of a direct democracy there is. Without the government as a middleman, people cast votes with their dollars, and if nobody votes for a particular product/service/system, it can't survive. When the government gets too involved, poor ideas become entrenched, and inefficiency and stunted economic growth become the norm. It's really that simple. Sure would be nice if a certain someone understood that idea...
Sigh. Humility, candor, genuine admiration for free enterprise and the military -- sometimes I miss this man.