John Stossel tells it how it is again. This special starts out by exposing the "consensus" opinion about stimulus packages then deals with other government influenced issues: roads, education, the American Dream, and immigration. Honestly I don't know how people actually think the government can do a better job than the private sector. I think its because people equate it this way: private=profits=evil.... But people fail to see the backward thinking this is.
Profits are not "evil" but actually serve the interest of the people much, much better than the public sector. When profits are the driving force it is the consumer who decides how well the company does. If the company cannot provide a service that suits a consumer their profits will drop and the company will either change for the better, change their business to something profitable, or fail. However, if the government is in charge they are not driven by profits, so they are not driven by the consumer. Instead they rely on tax dollars -- money that is not earned by providing a superior product but instead by forcefully taking money from citizens. What would you prefer? A company that responds to your decision to buy its product or not? Or a company that does not care whether or not its product is what's best for the consumer because it will get money for it regardless?
Contrary to popular belief, services such as roads, health care, and education do not have to be provided by the government. In fact, history shows us that when put in the care of the private sector all of these services are provided better, cheaper, and to more people. Again I think the best way to think about it is to change how we view "profits". To profit from something is not to take advantage of people. Profits are indications that people have chosen the goods or services a particular company offers over other companies. In order to keep profits companies need to keep providing this superior service or they will lose their consumers to competing firms. In a free society there can be no "taking advantage" of consumers because they can choose not to buy from a company that doesn't provide a superior good or service. However, when the government provides something we have no choice -- we have to pay taxes, regardless if we feel the good or service we receive is worth it or not. Now if that isn't "taking advantage" of people I don't know what is.
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