I read over a great WSJ article, Politicians Butt In at Bailed-Out GM, which demonstrates the problems with government intervening heavily in the decisions of businesses. A few quotes:
Thomas Geisel, chief executive of New Jersey’s Sun Bancorp Inc., says the bank paid back its federal money in June because of legislation that imposed limits on bankers’ pay, among other areas. “Lawmakers let emotion and ego get in the way of making good business decisions,” he says.
“I was elected to represent the interests of Montana, not General Motors, which is …

People often get social institutions confused, by confusing the role of markets, the role of government, and the role of private social institutions.
Capitalism:
Capitalism typically refers to an economic and social system in which the means of production (also known as capital) are privately controlled; labor, goods and capital are traded in a market; profits are distributed to owners or invested in new technologies and industries; and wages are paid to labor. (Wikipedia)
Statism:
A major government or state role in the direction of the economy, both directly through state-owned enterprises and indirectly …

I’m like most people who have complained in the past about my wireless provider, although I’ve been very happy with Verizon over the last few years. But my happiness and yours may diminish, as the Federal government might force wireless carriers to treat all web traffic the same, which means carriers couldn’t block or slow access to sites that are a drain on their networks or offered by rivals. To me this is a power grab by the FCC, unless their is some part of this potential regulation …

Given the current traction government intervention is having in the media and among some groups sentiments (see Regulating Compensation, Administrating Health Care Plans, Sole Originator of Student Loans, etc.) I thought I would share two quotes on government intervention.
My interpretation is that for some reason it is believed that government officials, be it representatives, appointees, or career bureaucrats, are somehow better suited to run things than a private market (think all of our social institutions not just companies). Milton Friedman in the below quote said it well, by asking, …

I always thought highly of Yale students, local civilians, and administrators, simply because of their status as a great school, but I’m disappointed in some recent comments. Several news articles and radio reports have indicated that Yale administrators and local police think the murder could only be committed by a few individuals because of a keycard necessary to access the building and basement. Well, I would suggest that it might be possible, maybe in the very least possible, that perhaps, and this is way out on a limb …