Steve Forbes

On Wednesday night I had the honor of hearing Steve Forbes talk and briefly meeting him. He was very articulate, knowledgeable, and even a bit humorous at times. He spoke mostly on monetary policy and the economy, but also covered health care and entitlements as well as taxes - his big thing is the flat tax. In all, I shared most of his views, and especially enjoyed his enthusiasm for the free markets and the greatness of American ingenuity.

I also came to realize one of the fundamental differences between small government vs. big government. Those who want a big government do not trust the American people to make the right decisions and feel that the government is a neccesity and must make those decisions for them. It comes off as very patronizing and depressing, especially since their logical goal is ultimately a socialist state. Those who want small government do so because they trust and want to empower the American citizen and give them the freedom to make their own choices. They realize that this country has been incredibly prosperous and successful since 1776, and that the American Experiment certainly does work.