GM = Government Motors

We've all heard this by now. And while the saying is cute, the situation is far from it. So now I, as a taxpayer, own a part of GM. I own shares in a company I would have never chosen to buy. So much for the free market.

Why did this happen? Because GM was too big to fail. So now the government owns it. Let me remind you again of their track record: Post Office - can't turn a profit, Amtrak - dido, Medicare/Medicaid - don't go there. Can the final GM failure be far behind. We will have spent over $70 BILLION and still are not sure GM will survive. It wold have been cheaper and swifter if the government simply let GM file bankruptcy months ago.

All we can hope for is that Obama stays true to his word. He said he does not want to run GM. I want to believe him but he has made so many false promises already.

People need to start paying attention. This administration will prove that government is not the answer. Big bad capitalism (with all of it's warts) and the ingenuity of the American people will revive and grow our economy.

I just wish I bought Ford stock when I had the chance. I'd be up 400% and own shares of the only US car company left standing.

Good bye free market

Here's a little known (at least little media covered) fact about the stimulus bill. All state and local jobs on energy, housing, agriculture or construction that are funded with stimulus money must pay union wages versus market wages. It's called the Davis-Bacon provision and the Office of Management and Budget slipped it in the bill before Obama signed it.

What does this mean? Stimulus dollars will put fewer people to work. It effectively eliminates competitive bidding since the unions will all set the same wage. How about letting people and companies bid on projects with no such restrictions so our tax dollars will go farther? How about including non-union shops in on the stimulus?

Again, this is the candidate of change?

He railed against the previous administration for its No Bid contracts complaining it led to excessive costs and spending. This union only provision does the same thing. What was the campaign term - Lipstick on a Pig?

One study estimates that with about $200 billion in the stimulus set for construction projects, Davis-Bacon raises the costs by about $17 billion.

Looks like that was the cost of the labor vote last fall!