Do not forget De Tocqueville - No bailouts!

The United States is enduring a credit situation and the beginning of a new administration in which the president-elect thinks we need billions to bailout several industries.

At this penultimate moment, we can repeat the mistakes of the FDR New Deal -- which we are still paying for with Social Security and its continual drain on our gross national product -- or we can allow the free market to do what it has always done, which is to allow entrepreneurs to create, stimulate, alter, and clear markets.

Although there are probably thousands of famous quotes about the United States from both famous and not so famous people, I thought our current situation was best described by Alexis de Tocqueville nearly 200 years ago:

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."

"The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults."

The United States is the greatest nation in the history of the world not because of its government, but because of the faith, hard work, generosity, and dedication of its people. Let that not fail during these difficult economic times. We cannot bail out every industry, so we should bail out no more industries. The banks were the first mistake and the auto industry the second. The state governments and the newspapers need to cut their spending, and that should be the end of it.