Government "Spending"

Okay, once again, sweet Sean misses a "teaching moment".

A caller to the Sean Hannity radio program asks why isn't the "stimulus" bill , through which government will spend money when the citizens might be afraid to spend their own in these precarious times a good thing for the economy...and just what we need.

Sean said a bunch of good stuff, but he missed a central point. One, I think too many Conservatives fail to make.

Let us assume for the sake of argument that spending in this economy would be a good thing....rather than reducing the debt and saving (novel concept, I know.)

Let us also assume that the Magical Mystery Bill actually spent money "in the economy" rather than just gifting it to sweetheart, leftist organizations and politically correct boobery.

The simple fact is, the government has no money. The government seizes money from its rightful owner. When the government "spends" money, it is, in fact, taking money out of the private sector, the only engine of prosperity and wealth building.

It, in effect, removes resources from the enomony. Because it does engage in "trade" for that money, the entirety of its value simply disappears from the free market.

When the government spends money, it removes it from market forces that are best at allocating the best place for that money to be spent, and arbitrarily, plunks that wad of cash in some enterprise or endeavor that would not be favored by the market, because it is not a good investment...or a good allocation of resources.

The mere "spending" of money...even directly into the economy, by the government, un-pegged from the efficient, organic conduct of the market, does not only fail to advance prosperity, but actually impedes, and directly hampers it by making less money and fewer resources available to the most efficient machinery for success, the free market, than would have been available to create wealth if the government had not stolen and removed vast amounts of fuel (money) from the engine.

This is true of every dime the government steals through taxation, regulation, fees, licensing, etc.
Every dollar the government takes is one dollar not working to it's full potential creating wealth and prosperity.

The Gunslinger