Good intentions, Bad results

There was a post on Yahoo! News asking the question: Has Obama kept all of his campaign promises? In the article it discusses various things that the Obama Administration has accomplished and what it hasn't. While candidates should be held accountable for what they promise on the campaign trail, this is also a perfect opportunity to change the tone of the entire debate.

Ever since FDR passed the New Deal in the 1930's, Americans have expected their politicians to do everything from getting them a job to helping them keep their homes. And while some of the expectations of the American public are reasonable (safe streets, competent schools, passable roads), the Obama Administration has taught us that putting all of your faith in the government often leads to disappointment.

Government is limited by political pressures from all angles. Everyone from senior citizens in Florida, to multi-billion dollar corporations want a piece of the government pie. And while politicians of both stripes continue to promise more and more to their constituents, we have found that government is capable of accomplishing less and less. With the exception of the Lame Duck session, Congress could hardly agree on any solid legislative goals, with Democrats in the House passing whatever they wanted, and Republicans in the Senate keeping anything that didn't have an (R) by the author's name from even being considered for a vote. Meanwhile, the American public grew more and more frustrated with the way that Congress was conducting business and decided to elect a new party into power in the House and even the score in the Senate. This, of course, came after they did the same thing in 2008. And in 2006. And in 2004.

See the pattern starting to develop? It is the same story every year. Democrats and Republicans both promise to do amazing things to their constituents, who are so burdened by debt, foreclosures, and feeding their families that they believe that government can help make their lives better. And when that party comes to power in Washington, it does start to accomplish some goals, only to have those accomplishments reversed when the other party comes to power on a wave of fear-mongering and doomsday language. So, the party that was just ousted decides that if the other party can win by doing that, then they will too. Pretty soon, both parties are hell-bent on reversing each-other's agenda, without any clear motive of helping the American Public.

The moral of the story? It is quite simple, government does not solve problems. Especially when you have a free and open democracy/republic. As more and more people ask whether Obama has kept all of his promises or not, they should really be asking whether continued faith in the government is worth it or not. And hopefully they realize that the time to shrink government and open up free markets is here. When solutions are finally able to escape the vicious cycle that has engulfed Washington politics, the American Public will finally have the relief that they have looked for the entire time.