Democracy and Power 101: Government is Power The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse. —James Madison, Speech in the Virginia State Convention of 1829-1830

The American government loves electric cars. President Obama dreams of having a million of them on our roads, and our government is actively promoting them. While picking winners and losers, the government has used taxpayer money to back quite a few losers over the years.

Lawmakers and lobbyists in Iowa are pushing for an additional 10 cent per gallon gasoline tax, on top of the 21 cent gas tax already in place. Raising the gas tax, especially in this stalled economy, would hurt Iowa families by forcing them to pay even more at the gas pump. This proposed tax would be particularly cruel since the average gas price in Iowa is a whopping $3.70 per gallon.

To friends of freedom, it seems obvious that the government should not be choosing favorites. On the contrary, the role of government should be limited to ensuring that the playing field is level, and industries are not subjected to different rules based on government’s understanding and support of what they do. Take, for example, the way in which an oil company is treated when birds are killed on their watch and when the same happens, to a much greater degree, due to wind turbines.  

Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of senators asked President Obama to consider issuing a permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline. These nine Democrat senators and nine Republicans asked Obama to approve the pipeline to help create jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

With unemployment in the United States at 8.3%, job growth is something which should be encouraged. However, it would seem that the government is only interested in jobs that support their agenda.