Government does not Invest

President Obama just loves to invest your money. He has invested your money in green energy (Solyndra). He has invested in GM & Chrysler. He has invested in infrastructure. He wants to invest more in education. If half of these investments pay off, maybe the government will be able to support itself through the returns rather than by taxing us. No? We'll still get taxed? He even wants to raise taxes on the best investors (e.g. Warren Buffet). If he needs more money despite his investments, it doesn't sound like he's making good investments. Perhaps he has a different definition of investment.

It turns out that spending is a very unpopular term when used by politians. Much as the word liberal has become an epithet and thus been replaced by progressive, investment has taken the place of spending. This is just a word game. When I invest my money, I expect to see a return. I want to get the pricipal back and a tidy return as well. When government invests, it has no expectation of seeing that principal again. That's spent money, never to be seen again. Nor does the government expect any return except for a nebulous and undefinable improvement in the economy. Even that is just a cover story. The real expectation is that the voters who got the money will re-elect the politicians who gave it to them. That's more like bribery. It is certainly not an investment as most would use the term.

When President Obama uses the word investment, it sounds more responsible and prudent than if he used the word spend. President Obama really is just spending your money - at an alarming rate - but it is much more reassuring when he tells you it's an investment.