I like to say my gas grill was “made” in Tennessee, since I bolted it together at my house.

Agree with you on the tariffs.

Get govt out of my life.

BCB, regarding competition, few of today’s American capitalists believe in it. They are constantly jockeying for position to gain advantage through influence of legislatures, governmental executive offices, and local political leadeship. That is why many communities fail to live up to their social and economic potential while a handful of individuals (many times just a few families) get fat.

Nationally, corporate interests run rampant, erect and maintain barriers to entry, and essentially own lawmakers, and that is against the real spirit of free market enterprise. When we say we have choice, it usually means to buy or do without.

Remember, there is no such thing as a free market.

Eric, I realize that tariffs are in place but the cars made here compete against those that are made here. Tarifs work both ways and I don’t think that it often works to OUR advantage either way. Could we charge a tariff on those coming over the border to offset some of our deficit? lol

Maybe not, if you don’t count a tariff as a bailout.

Semi, have you noticed how many Venezuelan Citgo gas stations have been “rebranded” in the last couple of years? If free people aren’t forced to buy their insurance from socialist dictators, they probably won’t.

Do you believe that Cigna, Aetna, Wellpoint, and the handful of other health insurers in the U.S. would really welcome more competition, particularly from, say, a new company based in Venezuela?

Semi, Why would TRUE competition be bad? Are you implying that international competition would be bad? Are you against international banks competing for our dollar?

Monopolies are the real and most immediate threat to competition and if there is a monopoly that truly rules out true competition. So what are you afraid of? What would competition do but hold the lazy or those that choose poorly in their financial decisions accountable? Why is accountability such a bad word for liberals? They hold Bush responsibile for everything and yet the crackhead is somehow a victim. Semi, is the crackhead a victim of Bush? I think that your president would have you believe they are. Why is government the only solution to a problem caused solely by that same government? Why am I smart enough to have a job, earn money, and arange my own health insurance but not smart enough to be allowed to? Is that “no job holding” presidnet that much smarter or more expeirenced than I in dealing with the problems of the average person? Or maybe it’s because union corruption (SEIU) and racial set-asides (ACORN) are his true agenda?

And now we hear of stimulus II with ideas like taxpayer subsidies to businesses to meet payrolls. Given how the treasury is dictating to TARP recipients how to conduct private business, one can only wonder how much control over the rest of the free market Obama would exert. Maybe harken back to FDRs NRA that controlled everything from the means of production to the wages paid employees. Though the NRA was found unconstitutional then resulting in FDR trying to stack the SCOTUS, with the flippant remarks from Congress on the constitutionality of Obamacare, you can be sure it will be passed under the auspices of “promoting the general welfare”.

The argument from government health care supporters that forced regulated health insurance is akin to auto insurance flys out the door. Especially when you see auto insurance companies vigorously competing on TV for your business with claims of 25-50% savings. Competing across state boundaries with little regulation.

Since the dolts of D.C. think they can save money by creating a new entitlement or expanding an existing entitlement, why not save real estate and increase efficiencies by placing all the parasite programs under one roof and call it the Ministry of Redistribution? And rename the IRS to the Eternal Revenue Service while they are at it. Better yet, give each parent a take home packet when their child is born with all the government entitlement gift cards in a leather personal organizer with their initials embossed in gold. And they can collect their $5,000 citizen check as well, courtesy of Nancy and Harry’s money factory.