Trust the people

We who live in free market societies believe that growth, prosperity and, ultimately, human fulfillment are created from the bottom up, not the government down. Only when the human spirit is allowed to invent and create, only when individuals are given a personal stake in deciding economic policies and benefiting from their success – only then can societies remain alive, dynamic, prosperous, progressive and free.

Trust the people. This is the one irrefutable lesson of the entire post-war period, contradicting the notion that rigid government controls are essential to economic development. The societies that have achieved the most spectacular, broad-based progress are neither the most tightly controlled, nor the biggest in size, nor the wealthiest in natural resources. No, what unites them all is their willingness to believe in the magic of the marketplace.--Ronald Reagan

Photo link here.  Via Mark Perry.

Unfortunately, I think The Gipper is more optimistic and gracious than me.  There are plenty of people in free market societies that think that growth, prosperity, and fulfillment will grow only with greater government command and control.  I think that President Obama refers to this as "good regulations" and "common-sense reforms".  And I don't think he has drunk nearly as much of this Kool-aid as millions of other Americans.

For some reason, the old Soviet Union, the China of the last century, Cuba and North Korea today, much of Africa, even Haiti ... these all seem to get ignored.  And, so instead of trusting the people, the Church of Unlimited Government is the fastest growing religion that I can see.

I don't trust the people.  Neither did Jesus.  What I trust is that a person can decide for himself better than the government can, and that he will do less harm than the government in their respective decisions.