Feel Good Inc.

When I was a little kid I played on one soccer team that had an absolutely miserable record. At the end of the season, however, we were each presented with a big trophy that -- even as a teenager -- stood out as among the largest in my collection. Even though we were literally a bunch of losers we were made to feel like winners.

In a column today, John Tamny writes about the "Everyone Gets a Trophy Economy" in which adults who make bad choices are insulated from the consequences of their actions and made to feel like winners.

Many children are especially sensitive to perceived slights and failures, and rather than force kids to compete, today’s schools often make sure that everyone gets a trophy.

The same unfortunate mindset meant to shield children from reality has polluted U.S. economic policy. Rather than expose Americans to the very failures that teach us how to succeed, politicians are devising more and more ways meant to protect us from failure. And, they pass laws that keep others from succeeding so those who are not rich don’t feel bad.

...The message from our federal minders couldn’t be clearer: if you succeed your reward will be higher taxation; and if you fail, government will embrace your failure through subsidies that reward a lack of productivity. In short, the broad economic message of both political parties retards economic growth by penalizing the productive in order to coddle those who aren’t. Everyone gets a trophy whether it is deserved or not.

This certainly seems to be what Obama is pushing in his latest economic plan, which makes provisions for extending unemployment benefits to individuals but no mention of a reduction in corporate tax rates for businesses (it doesn't hurt that the unemployed cast more votes than faceless corporations). Read the entire column.