Analysis: Is government's role to fix economy?

By Liz Sidoti

Associated Press

Published: Monday, Sept. 12 2011 8:21 a.m. MDT

Summary

The economy needs to be fixed. On this, Democrats and Republicans agree. They part ways over how to do it and, specifically, what role the federal government should play.

Obama argued that its workers and entrepreneurs made America's economy great, the envy of the world. But he also noted that government was responsible for the Transcontinental Railroad, the National Academy of Sciences, the first land grant colleges, the G.I. Bill, the nation's highway and air systems, the public school system, research that led to the Internet and the computer chip.

Americans will hear these competing visions of government for the next 14 months before casting a vote that will offer a glimpse into Americans views of the scope of government — a temporary clarity at best as the debate as old as our founding rages on.

EDITOR'S NOTE — Liz Sidoti, the political editor for The Associated Press, has covered national politics for the AP since 2003.

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Cedar Hills, UT

What kind of misrepresented reporting is this: "Obama says that the recovery won't come from Washington, but from small businesses." When in reality he thinks the exact opposite is true! How many Americans will judge Obama by his actions More..

8:29 a.m. Sept. 12, 2011
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Northern

Logan, UT

Why did we allow the government to allow a NON-government entity in the Federal Reserve to print our money so that individual men PROFIT from our nations debt?

The democrats fail in that bigger government providing jobs is nothing more More..

9:43 a.m. Sept. 12, 2011
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Corn Dog

New York, NY

It is not the role of nor within the power of the government to fix the economy. All the government can do is make things worse.

12:41 p.m. Sept. 12, 2011
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