Americans Afflicted with 'Governmental Reliance Syndrome'

By Bobby Eberle
April 8, 2008 at 6:25 am

Each time a major event happens in American, whether it happens to be a hurricane, rising gas prices, some housing foreclosures, you name it, the first reaction of the media is "Now that Event A has happened, what is the federal government going to do about it." They expect America's tax dollars to bail out people who spent too much on a house, to be used to artificially change the price of goods, and to "stimulate" an economy that naturally has ups and downs. The problem is that the more the media speaks, the more people listen, and it is becoming alarmingly clear that too many Americans expect government to "solve problems" rather than stay out of the way.

A new survey by Rasmussen Reports shows a shocking level of Americans (63%) feel that "the federal government is not doing enough to address the troubled U.S. economy."

Only 19% hold the opposite opinion. The economy goes up and down, yet nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the government should jump in and try to fix it? This is most disturbing. Why should tax dollars be spent to "fix" something that will fix itself? Why should America borrow money and go into further debt to "stimulate" an economy that is the strongest in the world?

The media has spoon-fed the notion of government involvement for so long that expectations of many Americans have changed. Yet, Americans don't know how the government should get involved. They simply believe that the government should do "something." The problem is that whenever "something" is done, that "something" costs money, and that money comes from us.

As Rasmussen points out, "It is not clear what response is expected." Some (32%) believe governmental regulation of financial markets should be increased. Others (22%) believe it should be decreased. "Forty-five percent (45%) favor increased regulation of the mortgage industry while 24% believe less regulation is needed."

As Republicans work to regain the trust of Americans as the party of reform, lower taxes, and smaller government, focus should also be put on educating the electorate on the wasteful spending that goes on in Washington. The best use of tax dollars is determined by the individual taxpayer, not the federal government. However, as more Americans listen to the media and "expect" government to act, it is up to the Republican Party and conservatives at large to show the American people that government is the problem, not the solution.