When markets are free

When markets are free, asset values are supposed to go up and down, and competition opens up opportunities for profits and losses.

Good decisions should be rewarded and bad decisions should be punished. The market does just that with its profits and losses.

Destroying confidance

The government doesn't create anything; it just redistributes.

Destroying confidance is what the government do best

Whenever the government bails someone out of trouble

Whenever the government bails someone out of trouble, they always put someone into trouble, plus of course a toll for the troll.

Every $100 billion in bailout requires at least $130 billion in taxes, where the $30 billion extra is the cost of getting government involved.

A big political event

Last month's $700 billion bailout amounts to more than 5% of U.S.
gross domestic product.

Compare that to Germany's $400 billion to $536 billion rescue package (between 12% and 16% of its GDP),or Britain's $835 billion plan (30%).

The ratio of government debt to GDP in the U.S. runs to
about 62%. For the eurozone, it's 75%; for Japan, 180%.

The U.S. continues to have the world's largest inflows of foreign direct
investment.

Recessions are periodic facts of economic life that tend to last anywhere
between six and 16 months.

Severe recessions or depressions are fundamentally political events that
can last a decade or longer.

Last month's $700 billion bailout was a big political event.

The only way to deal with economic crisis

The only way to deal with economic crisis is to force players to bear the cost of their mistakes.

Risky behavior

Any bailout of the financial system will encourage more risky behavior by banks.

Level playing field

You only have a level playing field when you leave the market heal by itself.