Pulling the reins in too tight

There are two behemoth items dominating the news cycle this month - the fruition of a global financial system, and the possible bailout of the American automotive industry. There is a dangerous mentality that permeates both of these agendas: both demonstrate a general tendency to base public policy on fear rather than the American ideals of freedom and independence. This tendency has been prevalent, unfortunately, since the Sept. 11 attacks of 2001.

Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of Britain, is now advocating a "new international order" in an attempt to avoid future economic crises.

Economic turmoil has existed since the first guy traded a stone wheel for a burning stick. There will always be bubbles, recessions, ups, downs, advances and losses. Rather than saying "no" to centralization of power for the sake of economic sovereignty, we are saying "yes" for the sake of economic security. This is fundamentally a choice between sovereignty and security. To quote Ben Franklin: "Those who would sacrifice even a small amount of freedom for security deserve neither." We are fooling ourselves into thinking we can avoid economic downturns. We are fooling ourselves into thinking we can create a Utopian, pain-free global economy.

AP Photo A Sept. 16, 2008 file photo shows General Motors Renaissance Center headquarters building in Detroit. President-elect Obama, when he met with President Bush at the White House on Monday, Nov. 10, 2008, urged Bush to support aid for struggling automakers and Democrats in Congress have begun drafting legislation that would give General Motors, Ford and Chrysler access to $25 billion. There is another elephant sucking all of the oxygen out of the room: the fading automotive industry. There have been massive losses, job cuts and general inability to compete in the global economy. Many pundits describe the auto industry as "the backbone of the American economy," and therefore worthy of Federal aid. Simplified, some want to put Detroit on hospice.

How much money are we willing to spend to delay the inevitable? The management of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler took their companies in the wrong direction, and are suffering for it. We can let them fail now, enter bankruptcy, and take a new direction, or we can give them billions, and let them go through this process later. Our automotive industry needs a new direction to compete in the global economy again - throwing money at the problem does nothing to address it.

I view these two dilemmas in the same light as the Iraq War. In all three cases, government has shown that it is willing to spend any sum of money, sacrifice any number of American principles and waste any amount of resources to give its constituency a peace of mind that is ultimately fleeting. How much money must they spend for us to feel safe? How many laws must they legislate? How many regulations?

The government's role is to protect liberties through legislation, ensure justice through jurisdiction and make decisions concerning global circumstances through execution - three branches, three roles. As seen in its expanding bureaucracy, the government assumes it also ought to protect us from cradle to grave. The consequence of this expansion is an increasingly authoritarian government.

Our leaders must decide between two ideals - between freedom and security. Freedom requires accepting responsibility for one's actions, and implies independence. Security requires dependence on others, and implies negation of accountability, as well as legislated cooperation. I'm fearful that we're letting our fears guide our decisions. The right decision is not always the easiest one to make. I think the words of the 1776 patriot Samuel Adams sum up my feelings about this pretty well:

"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."

Nicholas Zychowicz is a sophomore in psychology. He can be reached at zychowicz.3@osu.edu.