Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Government Expansion Called ‘Growth’

The MSM always seems to gleefully point out areas where government growth “fuels” economic growth and prosperity. The Houston Chronicle reports how various towns along the Mexican border have received an economic “boost” due to the recent growth of the U.S. Border Patrol.

To view such developments as a positive development indicates a warped view of true prosperity. A prime economic driving force in these border communities is now a government enterprise that restricts the free movement of people while arresting and caging those that refuse to comply to enforcement of arbitrary political boundaries.

The free movement of people is a necessity for true economic development and growth. The future of these communities are now dependent on an operation funded in part by stolen money (taxes) and the rest by deficit spending (borrowing)- hardly a recipe for steady, responsible growth. Rather than having vital capital invested in useful, new products and services that people require, that money is applied to non-productive and even harmful activity.
The Chronicle reports that many residents “grumble that heightened security has hampered business by creating longer waits to cross the border.” Exactly. These particular residents know commerce cannot flourish when the movements of people and their money are bottlenecked by Stalinist checkpoints and imprisoned behind walls.

No comments: