Required reading for Pres. Obama and the other congressional know-it-alls.

This article should be required reading in the Oval Office and Capitol Hill. Then our wallets could finally rest at night.

Why Government Can't Run a Business By JOHN STEELE GORDON The Wall Street Journal, page A17 May 20, 2009

The Obama administration is bent on becoming a major player in -- if not taking over entirely -- America's health-care, automobile and banking industries. Before that happens, it might be a good idea to look at the government's track record in running economic enterprises. It is terrible. In 1913, for instance, thinking it was being overcharged by the steel companies for armor plate for warships, the federal government decided to build its own plant. It estimated that a plant with a 10,000-ton annual capacity could produce armor plate for only 70% of what the steel companies charged. When the plant was finally finished, however -- three years after World War I had ended -- it was millions over budget and able to produce armor plate only at twice what the steel companies charged. It produced one batch and then shut down, never to reopen.

Other examples include Medicare and the ATT telephone monopoly being taken over by... THE POST OFFICE!

5) Government enterprises are almost always monopolies and thus do not face competition at all. But competition is exactly what makes capitalism so successful an economic system. The lack of it has always doomed socialist economies.

When the federal government nationalized the phone system in 1917, justifying it as a wartime measure that would lower costs, it turned it over to the Post Office to run. (The process was called "postalization," a word that should send shivers down the back of any believer in free markets.) But despite the promise of lower prices, practically the first thing the Post Office did when it took over was . . . raise prices.

So if the politician brainiacs who invented Amtrak, hanging chads and who run the Post Office want to take over ANYTHING else, there is going to be a lot of tortured screaming.

Florida is bad and must be punished, but while we are here...

Now the national bigshots like Howard Dean, who want to punish Florida for disobedience to the national committee's primary election dictum, decide that campaigning in the Sunshine State is verboten but fund raising from Florida is OK.

Florida Democrats open wallets for '08 field Tamara Lytle, Washington Bureau Chief Orlando Sentinel October 21, 2007

Ironically, the Democrats' edge has been achieved even though the candidates are coming to the state only to pick up checks. Because Florida's Jan. 29 primary is earlier than the national party allows, the major candidates have pledged not to campaign in Florida -- except to raise money. That has angered some state Democrats. But even earlier in the year, virtually every visit by the candidates was to collect cash, not to meet voters.... Morgan said public financing would have to be total -- and compulsory. "Make my day by making it all illegal and publicly financed," he said. "Till then I'm not going to let the prescription-drug companies and HMOs have their way. I'm going to elbow my way in to speak for people who don't usually have people who speak for them, like consumers."

Now we see the intentions of the noble politicians in Washington.

USE FLORIDA.

Florida Democrat and Republican politicians decided locally to hold a primary election on a certain day, and this must be punished. (Cf. "Status of Democratic votes undecided...again") So their delegates in the national convention are banned for life, but while we have your attention would you mind donating some cash money to Hillary, Barack or John Edwards?

USE FLORIDA.

And speaking of the handsome and talented poverty expert John Edwards, in keeping with the Theresa LePore tradition, there are plenty of Florida types willing to help out-of-staters have their way with the citizens of the Sunshine State. Exhibit A: John Morgan, wealthy trial attorney, probably AG if Edwards gets elected, or at least he ought to be if you ask Morgan's #1 supporter. This is the same John Morgan, the trial lawyer, who went on the radio in 2004 to advocate for handsome and talented John Edwards, and said that Edwards would even be a great president because he had won a big lawsuit concerning flameproof pajamas for children. Big credentials there. In this election cycle, he wants to "speak for people who don't usually have people who speak for them, like consumers."

Yeah, okay.

Abe Lincoln had a saying for situations like this: Whenever a politician tells you he is an honest man, check quickly that your wallet is still in your back pocket. Mutatis mutandis, whenever John Morgan speaks up for people, check quickly that your wallet is still in your back pocket.

What the politicians don't want you to see.

The Miami Herald reports today, "Some Miami-Dade and Broward judges aren't following tough new rules meant to prevent the wrongful sealing of court records."

Boring? Not if you read the list of who benefits from sealed court records.

New rules on court records often ignored Oct. 14, 2007 BY PATRICK DANNER AND DAN CHRISTENSEN MiamiHerald.com

The cases include the divorce of a prominent Broward homicide prosecutor, a defamation suit against a Miami doctor, and a Fort Lauderdale law firm's fee dispute in a probate matter. The Supreme Court unanimously adopted the rules after The Miami Herald reported that hundreds of civil and criminal cases in at least a half dozen counties were hidden from public view. Broward had the most concealed cases, and they often involved the divorces of judges, lawyers, politicians and businessmen.

Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse!

Considering that these professions especially, lawyers and doctors, have licensure boards that are hardwired for their own protection, not the protection of civilians, it is amusing to see them seduce the judges in South Florida, thereby inducing court orders for further obscuring and sleight-of-handing that benefits nervous lawyers, doctors et al.

And as the used car salesman says, "It's all perfectly legal."

Maybe.

Maybe not. Danner and Christensen quote another lawyer who smells a rat. "You always have to wonder if there's something more nefarious going on when the rules aren't being followed, and whether judges are ignoring them thinking they can get away with it," said Thomas Julin, an attorney in Miami who defends media organizations against defamation, including the Girls Gone Wild company, MRA Holdings. Hmmmm, another fox guarding another henhouse? Well, this time, I will agree with the counsellor. Keep an eye on those rascally judges!