In response to Mr. Gate’s article “https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Accelerating-Innovation“:
Just because some good results came in years later doesn’t mean that having the government involved in “Accelerating Innovation” was the right thing to do. Touting government policy support and control in computing, medicine, automotive, electricity, aviation, and others doesn’t show government’s aid, rather only how ingrained and pervasive the government has been and remains. I’m sure we can agree that even down to the achievements, it wasn’t government, but the individuals involved or the private businesses contracted, who made those true industry advancements.
In addition to good advancements, government has also been one of the major factors in not just preventing progress, but hurting Americans’ lives and prosperity. High taxes, crippling regulations, paperwork, restrictions, and other limitations have been thrown at individuals and businesses by government which are usually promoted as helping some interest, ‘protect’ some class, or for some inside or ulterior motive. Lifesaving drugs and procedures have been prevented from going to market causing lives, and those governments actions have reduced business employment, growth, and innovation, along with significant loss in consumer value.
Taking money from citizens (government funding) to fund private business or function in areas that aren’t in the constitution is wrong, and goes against the freedoms that Americans have fought for in all of our history, and for those who believed in it when America was just an idea.
After some thought, one could even make a stronger argument that if the government weren’t involved we would be even further along with regard to the internet, computing, and ever other industry.
Redistributing wealth by removing money from successful private sector entities is always the worst option, and that’s basic economics.
Whether it’s HIV, climate change, cancer, “some random epidemic”, or education, what is the best way to improve those things? Who makes that choice? You? me? No… not us… but only those who want to invent something better to take that risk for the reward — the private sector.
The problem with investing other people’s money (government money) is that most of the time it goes to unnecessary administrative fees, waste, and special interests…. or friend of the government worker… and usually the investment is not the most effective way of doing whatever it is to attack the problem. Not to mention, in your text, you don’t even describe what the next epidemic really is because it hasn’t been identified. That logically would result in the conclusion that it continues to be irresponsible for the government to take and redistribute the citizens’ wealth for more unknown purposes.
Why is that? Well as we know, most businesses fail in the first two years… and for what reason? All of the risks in the environment. Situations are flexible and if businesses don’t change, improve, and adapt to new developments, they will fail. Government spending and action are usually too stagnant and slow to keep up with the free market. In addition, the receivers of government spending often haven’t earned it. Someone just selected the contractor or government employee to receive those funds and the receiver doesn’t have as much risk to ensure success as those people in the private sector.
We need to trust the American people and not politicians for our success, which is what made us great from the beginning.