Whenever the intellectual elites in our US government are confronted with the fact that another county tried something that they are considering and it didn't work, their reply always seems to be, "That’s because we weren't in charge.”

Here are a few examples:

• China tried to shut down Internet access for its citizens. It led to a vast underground network of Internet users and social unrest.
• Russia tried to foster Marxist socialism on its citizens. It led to millions murdered, decreased production and a depressed national psyche.
• Greece structured its economy to cater to labor unions and other socialist interests. An economic downturn led to wide-spread riots.
• Spain tried to switch from an carbon-based to a green economy. The strategy led to increased unemployment and is on the verge of bankrupting their economy.
• Europe crafted a brand of socialism that allowed citizens to have months of paid vacation and allowed them to retire at age 50 with huge pensions. With the exception of a few countries like Germany, Europe is precariously close to bankruptcy.
• England, Canada, Sweden and other countries created a national healthcare plan that served to reduce the quality of care and led to health care rationing.
• Many countries throughout the world nationalized their auto and other industries. It served to damage their economies.
• The EU was formed to bring about economic safety and security to European nations. The EU is on the verge of collapsing.
• During the Great Depression FDR’s government intervention actually served to increase unemployment from 7.5 percent to over 25 percent and slowed a recovery that would have taken a little over a year. It took World War II to end the downturn. 
• Richard Nixon froze wages and implemented price controls. It deepened the Nixon recession.
• Jimmy Carter froze oil reserves in the wake of an Arab oil embargo. It led to sky rocketing fuel prices, gasoline rationing, long lines at filling stations, double digit interest rates, and rapidly increasing inflation.

There are many other historical examples where social programs and excessive government controls led to financial ruin, an overthrow of a regime, internal strife and riots, open warfare with other nations and other unintended consequences. Yet for some reason the intellectual elites and progressives in the United States have the arrogance to believe that all these ideas will work if they are in control of the process.

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