If This Isn't A Microcosm, Nothing Is!

This is a great illustration of how government works (and fails):

Year after year, decade upon decade, the U.S. Senate's network of restaurants has lost staggering amounts of money -- more than $18 million since 1993, according to one report, and an estimated $2 million this year alone, according to another.

The financial condition of the world's most exclusive dining hall and its affiliated Capitol Hill restaurants, cafeterias and coffee shops has become so dire that, without a $250,000 subsidy from taxpayers, the Senate won't make payroll next month.

The embarrassment of the Senate food service struggling like some neighborhood pizza joint has quietly sparked change previously unthinkable for Democrats. Last week, in a late-night voice vote, the Senate agreed to privatize the operation of its food service, a decision that would, for the first time, put it under the control of a contractor and all but guarantee lower wages and benefits for the outfit's new hires.

Clarice Feldman reports on the expected results:

It is anticipated that despite being required to maintain for existing staff the ridiculously high compensation package, it soon will be paying the Senate $800,000 a year in commissions.

The House wised up faster than the Senate did. It privatized its food service decades ago, and instead of paying subsidies to keep it afloat, receives $1.2 million in commissions to the House since 2003.

So, let's summarize.  The Senate has been using taxpayer money to bail out a business that has been failing for decades.  Finally, the problem has gotten so bad that they have decided to privatize the the management of this business.  As a result, they expect huge profits while still providing excellent compensation for the workers in the business.  Sound familiar?

This is the difference between government-run and private-run enterprises.  This is what happens when you turn to the free market.  This is precisely what government has done to any number of programs: Social Security, welfare, the war on poverty, the government itself, and so on.  In fact, the one thing that I can think of where the government has done anything with any amount of efficiency and effectiveness is the military.  Of course, it's led by a civilian (the President), so I'm not sure that even counts.  If you can think of any program the government does better than the private sector, please leave me a comment to let me know.  I don't think one exists.

Now, beyond the obvious humor and irony of this situation, let's connect some dots.  The Democrats, led by Barack Obama, are plainly seeking to extend the government to every possible aspect of American lives.  They want to control the temperature of your house, the light bulbs you use, what you drive, what you eat, and -- most disturbingly -- which doctors and procedures you can utilize.

Does anyone else see a problem here?

There's my two cents.