Through all the laws, policies, and regulations that government enacts, one thing is clear: government is not capable of having the success that private individuals are capable of. To quote the saying, “Nothing is as harmful as a good intention,” the government has enacted laws they believe will be solutions to problems such as airport security and education for underprivileged kids. Yet many of these laws have either made no improvement to the situation at all or in some instances, actually worsened the problem.

Meanwhile, private individuals and institutions have found ways to create their own success without all the rules and regulations government finds so necessary. A perfect example is the concern over airport security. In 2001, the U.S. government passed a law creating the Transportation Security administration, or TSA, in order to provide more airport security. However, since the TSA was put in place, it was found to have produced more harm than good. TSA workers continually miss dangerous objects they are supposed to detect, and many travelers complain about the long lines and rude treatment from the TSA while going through security. There have even been reports from travelers saying they felt violated by TSA workers.

The San Francisco Airport, however, experiences none of these problems. This is because the airport employs a private security company. Travelers through the San Francisco airport say the workers there are friendly and the lines are never too long. According to the film “No, they Can’t” by John Stossel, this is because the employees of the private company care more. These workers are more motivated to do their job right, and as a result, the private company employees can are twice as good at detecting fake bombs than TSA workers, according to the Wall Street Journal article “The TSA Just Won’t Let Go” by Stossel. Many other airports have requested to switch from TSA to a private company, but have been refused. According to the article, the only reason the agency could give to support their denial was, “There is no clear advantage to the federal government.” The government is using the TSA as another means to maintain power.

Not only is the US government refusing to accept that others have better solutions to its problems, but it also refuses to acknowledge they systems it has in place that are just flat out not working. Take, for example, college tuition. According to the article, “The College Cost Conundrum,” by Stossel, college tuition has experienced a 750% increase over the past 30 years. It’s gotten so expensive that about half of the college population in America now requires financial aid, according to the film. Politicians say they are going to stop this dramatic increase in tuition, but in fact they are the ones fueling it. The government has promised to provide more federal financial aid as the cost of tuition gets higher, which only gives colleges more incentive to hike up their tuition. It’s a vicious cycle. And it’s not as if rising costs are a result of additions that are going to aid students academically. It’s a result of rock walls, spas, and high-equipped workout facilities. Colleges are adding these luxuries to try and entice students into coming to their college, and if the government is going to pay for it, why not do it? The only way this is going to stop is if the government decides to decrease federal financial aid, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen any time soon.

Much of the good things we as the people of America have in our lives are thanks to the government. But the problem with this is that the government thinks that it has the best solution to everything, which is simply not true. What’s concerning is that the government refuses to accept this truth; that free people in a free market can have the best solutions for ideas. If the government would just step aside once in a while, they would see the answers have been right before their eyes all this time.