While the rest of America turns away from the big government stimulus spending programs of President Obama, at least one corporate executive is turning toward him to embrace his failed policies. Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt did the media circuit on Sunday to embrace the continuing liberal fantasy that if we spend enough money in Washington, we will fix the economy. To Eric Schmidt and Google, the only problem with the stimulus is we didn’t spend enough.
Schmidt on the Sunday Morning Shows, denounced Washington “bickering” as the reason for what ails the economy. Of course, Schmidt is offering a straw man argument to deflect blame away from Obama’s failed record of big government spending and crony socialism.
The trillion-dollar stimulus did not fail because it was not big enough or because of partisan bickering. As you may remember, the stimulus bill was passed quickly and with little debate out of the Democrat controlled House and Senate at the time. No, the trillion-dollar stimulus failed because the ideas it represented failed. Big government spending does not create jobs or economic growth – it didn’t work for the New Deal and it didn’t work for Obama’s Raw Deal.
It is shocking, however, to see Schmidt take to the airwaves to embrace failure. Of course, this may be a strategic decision. Schmidt and Obama have been thick as thieves since Google raised over $1 million for the president’s campaign. They have been rewarded – no different that Solyndra – with government contracts and policy decision that are designed to help the company. Obama has looked out for Google and now it looks like Schmidt is returning the favor.
But rather than spit in the eye of the Tea Party, conservatives and Americans concerned about our growing debt problems, Schmidt might be better served addressing some of the issues that brought him to Washington in the first place.
Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will look into a host of decisions by the company that have violated the law, the privacy of the American people and the intellectual property rights of small businesses.
It was just a few weeks ago, Google was fined by the federal government half a billion dollars for knowingly violating American law by facilitating the sale of illegal prescription drugs. Schmidt admitted knowingly violated the law and profiting from it. Rather than any real punishment, Google was forced to return its profits by what appears to be a sweetheart deal by the Justice Department. Perhaps embracing the failed stimulus program a way of saying “thank you.”
Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee should have a busy day as they probe Schmidt the prescription drug deal, the theft of intellectual property rights and the fact that the company refuses to protect the privacy of their users.
Eric Schmidt and Google appear to be a symbol of everything wrong with the American economy. Rather than running away from government, too many executives are running toward it looking for contracts and favors. Crony capitalism needs to end and it should start with Google.