Michelle Bachmann talks out of her ass

She's an odd character. I'm not sure why interviewers let her off with saying some of the guano-loco things she says. Just as a thought experiment, bear with me while I ask some totally silly questions that might reveal what this "government takeover" of the economy amounts to.*

Are streetlights a gov't takeover of traffic? Are people owned by the government if they have to answer to laws?

Are police forces a government takeover of crime?

Are IRS audits a government takeover of your money?

Is it socialism when a government responds to any disaster? Such as FEMA response to a hurricane or the local response to a fire? Social Security is a response to the needs of the aged, and Medicare to their health care needs--are the life and death issues of other citizens less important to society, or more?

(Response by Bachmann should be provided in the form of an essay. Grammar and spelling will be counted.)

Are wage-earners less or more in need of comprehensive health care? Are children? How do their health care costs impact all of us?

Regarding the bank and auto industries "take-over meme":

Is a loan that gets paid back a "takeover"? If you are not in foreclosure, but are paying off your bank loan--can you say that the bank has "taken over" your house just because a mortgage exists?

Is it socialism to prop up existing corporations so that they can continue to exist?

What government office would you take your American-made car to if it was in need of repair?

What branch of government do the dealerships answer to?

If the government could make a profit off of going into business--what would it need your taxes for--it could be selling cars, already! Discuss.

Alternatively:

Hasn't our government sold off public utilities, and leased the former "commons" areas in terms of park-lands etc.? Do you think we are more socialistic--or more capitalistic/privatized? Why/how? What has been the impact of, say, increased use of contractors in our military--has this been a cost-effective thing?

Are the banks government offices? Are their employees government employees, yet? Got gov't pensions? Making gov't pay?

If not--why not? Why hasn't the socialistic takeover affected bank operations?

In the cold light of day, it actually doesn't look like the government has taken over a bunch of industries, so much as financially propped them up and tried to make them work better. What the hell is this silly woman on about? Also, it doesn't look like Obama is doing anything un-American if he's supporting capitalism by trying to save it from itself--by getting Congress to pass laws, which they seem to go on to do in that time-honored representative style of government we all have.

I'm not sure why the vagaries of how the economy, laws, or lawmaking itself work don't seem to be the forte of our actual lawmakers.


* Another recycling of a DU post.