For the Record

Columnist John Stossel: “Government wants you to play a role in the ‘shutdown’ of the federal government. Your role is to panic. … If the public starts noticing that life goes on as usual without all 3.4 million federal workers, we might get dangerous ideas, like doing without so much government. … The federal government remains the biggest employer in the country. President Obama says so with pride. Compare this to what happens in the private sector in tough times: AT&T cut 40,000 workers. Sears cut 50,000. IBM: 60,000. They weren’t easy decisions, but they enabled the companies to stay profitable. With fewer workers, leaner companies found more efficient ways to get things done. And the rest of us barely noticed. We expect change and adaptation in free-market institutions. But it doesn’t happen in government. Government just grows. … No wonder politicians and bureaucrats are convinced big government is essential to keep the economy going – it is essential to keep them going.”