That large-heartedness – that concern and regard for the plight of others – is not a partisan feeling. It is not a Republican or a Democratic feeling. It, too, is part of the American character. Our ability to stand in other people’s shoes. A recognition that we are all in this together; that when fortune turns against one of us, others are there to lend a helping hand.
I am afraid that Doctor, er, President, Obama misdiagnosed the problem. Large-heartedness, or compassion for your fellow man, is wonderful when it springs from the heart of individuals acting of their own free will. However, government coerced large-heartedness is congestive heart failure of the body politic.
The heart of our political and economic system has been flooded with pork, regulation, mandates, and unconstitutional demands that can never be satisfied. Those self-appointed politicians who seek to reward their supporters - whether they be corporations, unions, individuals, etc., will never be satisfied with just a little. In the end, they want everything. So, they take the bread out of the mouth of the middle class and give it to banks, investment firms, unions, automobile companies, insurance giants, and every other special interest. They take money from small business - that if allowed to grow, might become big business. They stifle profit, squeeze growth, and rob capital - the lifeblood of our economy. They restrict our free choices until our choices are so narrow, and costs are so high that we are forced to seek government aid.
