After everything that has happened to this country because of the Great Recession, it is unexplainable how the Republicans are still trying to sell this line of BS that the government is out to get you and we should put all of our faith in big business. Trust is something that is earned, not taken for granted. Although the government has certainly failed us more than once and is certainly not perfect, who do we turn to when the free market fails? The Government is like our parents. We don't want their help, we don't want them watching over our shoulder, we don't want them telling us what to do , especially when it's in our best interest. When life becomes too much to handle, we crawl back to the government teat just like it was our mama. Every time I see a tea bagger with an anti-government sign at a rally during working hours I can't help to wonder if this is how they treat their parents too.

Let's just set all blame aside and and focus on the core of our problem. The Free Market failed us. The banks had no rules, they abused their situation, and we bailed these abusers out and they reward us by slapping us with ridiculous credit card rates and rules. They deprive students their loans. They deprive loans for construction. Health Insurance Companies raised our rates to pay for a multibillion dollar campaign against reform. They fought against our interests and kept raising rates, some as high as 100%. In CA, Anthem wanted to jack all individual policies by 39% across the board with no excuses or reasons at the worst economic time since the 1930s. This is classic price gouging like what we saw during Katrina. Remember, the government put an end to that and we were all glad? Wages are receding, people are broke, and these companies don't care. They kick you when you're down. That's what big businesses do and we all seem to expect it and not care that they're doing it. It's not price gouging when it's an old white man in a suit, but it is when it's a middle eastern guy at a gas station.

Say what you will about the Stimulus and other actions taken by the Obama Administration, but the GDP has gone from -6% growth to +6% growth in one year AFTER Bush left office, that's a 12% turn around for those who don't do math guud. We saw the DOW bounce back from 6500 to over 10,000 and stay rather steady. This has compelled economists to claim the recession is technically over. If the economy is not in recession anymore, but the people are, then what's going on here? Again, we are seeing a failure of the free market concept. Greedy business owners are doing just fine while continuing to lay off workers. Most Fortune 100 companies have posted over a billion dollars in profit last year, but continue to lay off workers. You see, the free market is very reactionary. When the banks began to realize that delinquent clients were the most profitable, they all had to jump on the same crazy train with no regard to how it would affect their industry as a whole, more less their own companies. Now we see another viral trend of profitable companies making due with less and less workforce, but requiring more production. Again, they each think they are simply keeping up with competition, but collectively they are destroying their customer base by laying off people. Like the banks, they are biting the hands that feed them.

Big business has proven to us that they cannot be relied on when the going gets rough. The free market is not going to heal itself with their current mentality. Who do we rely on? Who cut you that unemployment check? Who gave you COBRA extensions? Who extended your UE payments TWICE? We expect the government to bail us out, even the banks do too. The Republicans have destroyed our trust in the government with their constant campaigning against their employer (i.e. biting the hand that feeds them). When in power they underfunded every agency, forcing ineptitude, dysfunction, and mistrust. If you live in New Orleans, you probably don't trust FEMA anymore. If you live on the Mexican border, you probably don't trust INS anymore. They create failure and then say, "see, the government doesn't work". What do you think the Repugs in Congress are doing with their record filibusters and party line NO voting?

Just like you don't want your parents helping you or watching your every move, we keep the same distance from the government, but when we've been given more than we can handle, the comfort of the people who brought us life is somehow the first thing we look to. Most people who say they don't trust the government also believe in some radical socialistic take over of the entire universe if we let them do one little thing to regulate abusive industries that threaten the fiscal well being of the entire nation, not to mention each individual. Gee, where did they get that idea? This fanatical view of a GOP fantasy compels people to think they are better off getting premiums jacked 39% each year. With this attitude, I guess they would be fine buying unregulated raw pork or untested medication. These extremists just don't know where to draw the line between fantasy and reality. Do you trust Health Insurance companies MORE than the government? Do you trust banks MORE than the government? You CONservatives who have been out of work for sometime and collect unemployment checks while complaining about the government and socialism, who do you trust? The company that canned you or the government currently giving you a handout? THINK ABOUT YOUR TRUST ISSUES FOR A MINUTE!