Oil and Water Finally Mix - It's called Government and Business!

I read a news article from Reuters this morning about our US Government buying General Motors this morning. Essentially a new company would be formed that is owned by the US Government. I can only say that my utter shock was followed by a moment of disbelief...

Granted, I am a small business owner and self-proclaimed entrepreneur. Throughout my business career, I have learned a lot about compromise the hard way. However, I simply cannot seem to comprehend the logic of our government buying and owning what was for many years Fortune 1, and today remains one of the largest companies in the entire world!

Now, I'm still fairly young, but old enough to remember some of the "iron curtain" rhetoric. I was in college when the wall fell, and I vividly remember how America celebrated as the world seemingly embraced democracy. We were celebrating an end to government ownership and a global participation in the free market economy!

So, I sit here this morning and am logically trying to comprehend a government buyout and ownership of General Motors. Yes, I realize that this may save jobs in the short-term, but what about free market enterprise? What about competition? What about profitability? What about encouraging innovation? What about learning from our mistakes and using them to make us stronger? What about allowing the frail and weak to be replaced by the innovative and strong?

Am I simply old-fashioned in my way of thinking? I think not. Rather, I would articulate that I have learned through a lot of personal pain and hardship what it means to run an company; what it means to be profitable; what it really means to learn from your mistakes; what it means to embrace innovation; what it means to retool and strengthen!

I challenge this "bailout" mentality at its core. I truly want my fellow citizens to have the disposable income they need and desire. I truly want my country to thrive. I truly want to continue using our surplus to help many less fortunate people in this world. I truly want to help make the world a more caring and loving place.

Yet, to me, buying General Motors screams "shortcut". It defies my logic, because it simply slaps the defining rules of business (that I have learned through much hardship) in the face. This buyout promotes laziness, and it decries the entrepreneurial endeavor. It eliminates opportunity and belittles the American Dream! It crushes the small guy. It encourages a "free lunch" mentality and ridicules a hard days work!

I write this still in disbelief, but with a cry to my fellow Americans... Can we stand together and represent what we know is great about America? Can we once again stand for the American Dream and reclaim this "Land of Opportunity"?

Please, use slungle.net as a way to share with me your comments... Do you agree or disagree with me? Let's have this discussion while we still can!