A recent trip to Chicago presented me with an analogy to the government's persistent interference in our free market economy.

The car we drove was equipped with a GPS device we had never used before.

As we left North Chicago, heading for Dayton, we programmed the GPS for the trip. I had my map from a previous trip.

I saw that we weren't going to get along from the start. (I'll use the pronoun "she" for the device, as the mechanical voice was definitely feminine.) She wanted us to use I-94 south through town. I, from experience, knew that Lake Shore Drive was the less congested, and therefore, faster route.

As we drove east toward the lake, she "reprogrammed" our route, and insisted that we turn right at every major intersection and head back west toward I-94. As we approached Lake Shore Drive, it appeared that she finally figured out where I was going, and suggested that we turn on Lake Shore Drive. 

Wrong. At every major intersection, again, she insisted that we turn right and head back to I-94, even going through downtown Chicago. It wasnﾂ稚 until we were actually on I-94 south that she finally agreed with us.

When we arrived in Dayton, she again disagreed with our route. I knew that the bypass was the faster way, and yes, as soon as she "reprogrammed," she insisted that we turn left at every major intersection to get back to her route through downtown. When we arrived at our exit (recently completed), she didn't even know it existed.

Does this not seem similar to government policy toward the free market economy?

Government interference in the free market is like the GPS device, proclaiming: "I know what you need, therefore, go this way. Do as I say."

The free market says: "No, I know where to go."

I went with the free market, and arrived home safely. Had we relied on her direction, we might still be driving around Chicago.