I recommend today's column by Steven Pearlstein, "Big Business vs. Big Government," as a brief must-read item. Basically, it reminds us that our political/social/economic philosophies tend to seesaw back and forth, emphasizing at one stage the power of capitalism, and at another, the power of government.
Pearlstein's column derives from, and comments on, an article in National Affairs, "Keeping America's Edge," by James Manzi. Both writers argue the need for "balance," but Pearlstein correctly points out the fallacy of assuming, as Manzi does, that the extreme pro-business stance of the Bush administration was the neutral, "balanced" position and any shift away from that moves toward imbalance.
In fact, current Obama policies seek to restore balance to a system that had sadly lacked it. One fact seems clear: the swings between the two poles have gotten wider of late.
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