Have you seen what’s happened at the big banks lately?  With the new “stimulus” package passed by congress last week and signed by the president today, any bank who took over $XXX dollars in TARP money is restricted in how much they can pay their employees and managers.  Not only that, they’ve been instructed to “cease and desist” on foreclosures while Mr. Geithner decides how the government will save the homeowners’ homes (presumably at the banks’ expense.)

If you want the government managing your money (and managing the people who manage your money) go to a big bank and open an account.  I’m pretty sure I don’t want the lowest paid executive in the banking industry managing my money, so I’m going to . . .  You didn’t really think I’d say, did you?

You’ve always heard there is no free lunch.  There’s no question now that that’s true.  If you let the government into your life, they’re going to want a say in how you run your life.  How do you feel about that?  You can either buy your own lunch, and manage your own affairs, or you can let the government buy your lunch and give them the right to intervene.  That seems to me to be a pretty easy choice.  But at the end of the day, there’s no free lunch — just like your dad said.

If you really want to manage your own destiny, you’re going to have to learn to pay as you go.  You grow your own business by the sweat of your brow.  You make things happen by hook or by crook.  But unless you want to suffer the indignities that only Washington can hand out, you refuse the free lunch.  Difficult to do, but vale la pena.