Columnist George Will recently spoke at the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) in Washington, DC.  He described the current political divide in our nation as a struggle between two polar values of western political thought; freedom and equality.  Will, who describes himself as a man who works as a political columnist to support his baseball watching habit, offered a number of insightful comments during his speech.  You can view Wills speech at

http://www2.nationalreview.com/video/video_homie_022210_A.html

My favorite economist, Milton Friedman, once said, “The country that values equality over freedom will have little of either.  The country that values freedom over equality will have a great deal of both.”  History bears him out.  The old Soviet Union (USSR) embraced the principle that all of its citizens should have equality of outcome, even to the point of insisting that the government should own and run all economic enterprises.  Over the seventy-two years (1917-1989) of their grand experiment, the communists largely achieved that goal, but not in the way that the Russian people would appreciate.  Indeed, roughly 99.7 percent of the Russian people did experience equality; they became equally poor.  But for the top three-tenths of one percent of Russians who were in the higher echelons of the Communist party, life was good indeed.

The Russians weren’t the only nation to claim that equality should triumph over personal freedom.  The Indians, under Nehru, copied the Russian economic model, crippling their democracy economically for the first fifty years of its existence.  Only in the mid 90’s did the Indians figure out that free markets are the roadmap to prosperity.  Likewise, the Chinese prospered only when their people were allowed to own and operate private enterprises in the 1990’s.

During the same 73 years that the Russians, Chinese and Indians suffered, average Americans prospered by comparison.  The United States became the place where people from all over the world longed to live.  In contrast with other nations, in the United States there was a distinct separation between private and public ownership.  Comparatively, government intervention into the economic and personal lives of its citizens was subdued in the United States compared to other countries.  Consequently, we prospered while they struggled.

Since the Republicans reneged on their 1994 “contract with America” the United States has moved rapidly toward an economic model that is supposed to guarantee “equality of results.”  Americans are to have free health care, low cost housing, fuel assistance, and God knows what else.  Crony capitalism has replaced true competition.  We no longer have a profit and loss system, but a profit and “too big to fail” system.  Under Obama it has gotten worse; dependence on government is not just part of the national debate, but is now part of the national agenda.

Our children are subjected to attending crappy government schools run by bloated teachers unions.  Government employees make 34% more than private sector employees, with 70% higher fringe benefits.  The American Academy of Pediatrics has requested that the government require choking hazard labels on hot dogs.  The carbon dioxide we exhale from our lungs is now considered by the EPA to be a toxic substance.  Americans are now told that we will be forced to worship at the altar of the Church of Climate Change, where our “tithing” is conveniently added to our utility bills.

Last week I told my economics students that I subscribed to a radical idea that is apparently not accepted by most Americans.  That “radical idea” is that “I can control and run my life better than anyone else on earth or than by anyone they can appoint.”  I know that there are millions and millions of Americans that agree with me, but with our recent mad dash toward government dependence, I’m sometimes discouraged.  We’ll find out for sure which direction Americans want to go on November 2, 1010.

I’ve always wanted to visit British Columbia, justifiably touted as one of the most beautiful places on earth.   Over the past few days my wife and I have been watching our Canadian neighbors hosting athletes from all over the world at the Vancouver Winter Olympic games.  It is a shame that the games started tragically with a luge fatality.  Fingers will be pointed for months and months concerning that accident, but this doesn’t negate the fact that our neighbors to the north have done a splendid job of planning and executing these Winter Games.  How fortunate Americans are to have such friends up north.

This week I was listening to the radio and ESPN host Colin Cowherd proclaimed the Winter Olympics a place where rich people play games.  Furthermore, he indicated that these rich folks come exclusively from countries with “money and mountains.”  Finally, Cowherd proclaimed that Winter Olympians were not “real athletes” like basketball players, baseball players, soccer players, and football players.  He cited a pregnant curler as an example of the non-athletic nature of Winter Olympic athletes.

Cowherd has a point when he speaks of countries with “money and mountains.”  Olympic sports are expensive, taking place on ice rinks, luge tracks, and ski hills.  If the athletes don’t have money, they must be sponsored by donors who do.  In rural Zimbabwe a kid can kick a soccer ball around and conceivably play in the world cup.  He’s never going have enough coin to rent ice time for $100 an hour.

Cowherd’s contention that Winter Olympians are not “real athletes” is ridiculous.  Granted, curling doesn’t probably require abs of steel, but I’ve seen a few relief pitchers in major league baseball that are a bit “chunky” to say the least.  Sorry, Cowherd, but cross country skiing, speed skating, and hockey require true athletic ability and years of training.  While many consider snowboarders a bunch of “kid misfits”, I’d say that Shaun White (snowboarding half-pipe gold medal winner) is one hell of an athlete.   That goes for most Winter Olympians.

From a marital perspective, I’m extremely pleased that the Winter Olympics are on television every four years.  My wife turns into a couch potato for the entire duration of the winter games, completely addicted to figure skating, downhill skiing, ice dancing, etc.  You name it, if it is a Winter Olympic sport, she watches it.  Her two-week absolute television obsession with the Winter Olympics is my only defense when she chides me the other four years for watching too much baseball or football.

It was ugly when the US Congress spent nearly $50 billion to transform General Motors from a proud automobile company into a jobs program, but the consequences of public ownership of private companies has now taken a turn for the worse.  Now GM and the United Auto Workers Union have been given the ability to harass and regulate competitors, potentially forcing them out of business!

Toyota has recently experienced quality issues due to rapid acceleration with many of its cars and brake problems with the Prius hybrid.  This has resulted in massive product recalls and a freeze of new car sales until accelerator pedals can be fixed, costing Toyota hundreds of millions of dollars.  I’m convinced that Toyota’s quality problems are legitimate; my problem is the fact that the US Government, which owns General Motors, is now investigating Toyota.  This represents a gigantic conflict of interest.

Last week during Capitol Hill testimony, US Transportation Secretary Roy LaHood stated that Toyota owners driving vehicles affected by the recall should stop driving the cars immediately and take them to a dealer.   Toyota stock immediately tanked, reducing company value by $3 billion.  LaHood later apologized, saying he had made a “misstatement.”

The US Transportation Department has now commenced investigations into both the acceleration and brake problems of Toyota vehicles.  The Federal government has also announced that their investigation is spreading to include the possibility of electronic interference as the cause of Toyota’s vehicle acceleration problems.  This type of Federal investigation could go on for years costing Toyota billions of dollars, not to mention further damage to Toyota’s already marred reputation.

One can imagine a clever editorial cartoon where a government regulator is harassing a Toyota executive.  Behind the slightly cracked office door sit the ecstatic CEO of GM and the president of the United Auto Workers.  What a deal!  The owner of Government Motors is also in charge of regulating GM’s competitors!  Not only is this conflict of interest not good news for Toyota, but it’s not good news for Ford or any other legitimate automobile company.  Once your competitor “owns” the regulation process for your industry, nothing good can happen.  If the US Department of Transportation investigates a problem with any non-GM make or model, many will wonder if the problem is legitimate, or driven by political considerations.

The US government should immediately put GM and Chrysler up for sale.  If a buyer can’t be found in one year, both companies should be broken up and their component divisions sold to outside investors.  Those divisions not sold should be shut down.  It is time to get the Federal Government out of the automobile business and to re-establish legitimacy in Federal regulative agencies.

On Sunday, August 23, 2009 I wrote a blog titled “Favre and the Vikings”.  In doing so I predicted several outcomes for the 2009 Vikings season and their beloved quarterback Brett Favre.  Today, Super bowl Sunday 2010, I’m going to resurrect my predictions and see how they squared with reality.  I’m also going to demonstrate to the world why I don’t make my living as a sports prognosticator!  The predictions made five months ago are in light type and the actual outcomes are in bold type.

Salyards’ predictions for Favre’s 2009 year with the Vikings:

1.  The Vikings will lose twice to the Packers in 2009.  Viking turnovers and sloppy play will lead to a Packer win at the Metrodome.   Strangely, the Packer victory at Lambeau field will be a narrow win, but a win nonetheless.

This is what happens when a Packer fan let’s his emotions cloud his common sense!  The Vikings beat the Packers twice during the season, 30-23 at home in the Hubert H. Socialist Metrodome and 38-26 at Lambeau field.  Actually, the Vikings won more convincingly at Lambeau than they did at the dome.

2.  The Bears will split with the Vikings this year.  The second game at Soldier Field against Chicago will be a grim one for the Vikings and Favre.

I lucked out on this one.  After beating the Bears in the dome 36-10 the Vikings lost a close one on a cold night at Soldier Field 30-36.

3.   After beating Cincinnati in the Metrodome on Sunday, December 13th, the Vikings will go on the road to face Carolina.  Carolina will smash the Vikings.  Persistent rumors will spread about dissention in the Vikings locker room.  Favre’s ego will be a big part of the problem.

Indeed the Vikings beat Cincinnati and lost fairly convincingly to the Panthers in Carolina 26-7.  During the third quarter of the Carolina game Childress tried to bench Favre, who refused to leave the game.  Hence, there were plenty of rumors about what was really happening in the Vikings locker room.  These rumors lasted about two weeks, but finally dissipated.

4.  The December 28 game against Chicago at Soldier Field will put the nail in the coffin of the Vikings season.  “December Fever” will bite the ever-declining Favre harder than ever.  He will sustain an injury in the windy city that will end his first season with the Vikings.  Speculation will arise as to whether the physical aspects of the injury are sufficient to keep Favre off the field, or whether the old man is finally sick and tired of getting kicked around.  It won’t be pretty in the media or in the Viking locker room.  At this point, Vikings fans will start to feel like last year’s Jets fans.

While the game in Chicago was demoralizing for the Vikings and cost them home field advantage throughout the playoffs, Favre was not hurt or demoralized and the Vikings remained a serious contender for the NFL championship.

Actually, Vikings fans never felt like Jets fans; they ended up the 2009 season feeling more like Packer fans.   Favre’s last pass as a Green Bay Packer resulted in an interception and put an end to the Packers playoff hopes.  Ironically, Favre’s last pass for the Vikings in the 2009 season resulted in an interception and put an end to the Vikings playoff hopes.  Viking fans learned a bitter lesson that Packer fans have learned for years, “Most of the time Favre plays for your team, but there are brief periods of time when you would swear he is playing for the other team.

5.  At the end of the 2009 season the Vikings will release Favre.  Brett Favre and Brad Childress will head into the sunset together, both unemployed.

I missed this one completely.  It remains to be seen whether Favre will “retire” again, but he most certainly won’t be released by the Vikings.  Brad Childress will not be fired.  On November 19, 2009 to the delight of fans in Titletown, Childress got a contract extension through 2013 worth between $4 and $5 million a year.

6.  This time, Favre won’t announce his retirement.  Over the summer of 2010, rumors will spread that another club is interested in taking a chance with Favre, but this will not come to pass.  Favre’s NFC playing days will finally be over.

I’m was right that Favre wouldn’t announce his retirement, but right for the wrong reason.  Trying protect the fickle Favre from again facing the media wallowing in tears and indecision, Viking coach Brad Childress announced that Brett won’t face any pressure to return for most of training camp if he decides to come back with the Vikings.  I believe that Favre will return to play for the Vikings for the 2010 season.