In the midst of this tsunami disaster, liberals in the US and the UN keep harping on this idea that the government of the United States must lead the charge on giving to the damaged countries because the country's GDP is so large. But this is a fundamentally flawed argument which presupposes BIG GOVERNMENT. Put another way, the notion that the US government should give a high percentage of the country's GDP means that the government would own a huge chunk of the GDP. That's socialism! The reason US GDP is so large is precisely because the government is not large. And our citizens give plenty via private donations.

History has proven over and over again that free enterprise, unencumbered by governmental interference, especially burdensome taxation, trumps socialism every time. The reason is that human beings are more productive when they enjoy the fruits of their own labor. Socialist Russia was a grossly underperforming economy. Poland, which has fully transformed into a free enterprise based economy was likewise unproductive but is currently enjoying a tremendous economy. Sure the US government could give more, if it was socialist and taxed the heck out of its citizens. Of course the GDP would be much smaller and even though the percentage would be higher, the amount given would be smaller.

And where is the understanding that what we have pledged so far is a preliminary number. We are, very prudently, not simply throwing money at these countries. We are performing triage and will give whatever it takes to get these countries back on their feet. But if we rush in and just throw money around, the stories of corruption and theft will be long and plentiful. Take the trouble to give a homeless guy a couple sandwiches and he'll have something to eat. Give a homeless guy $20 and he'll get drunk. It is far easier and quicker to pull twenty bucks from your pocket than it is to stand in line to buy some sandwiches but it accomplishes far less.

So liberals, please shut your mouths, or at least open them only to admit once and for all that what you are all about is socialism.