“I’m not glum.”

So said a determinedly cheerful Ed Crane, founder and president of the libertarian Cato Institute. Some pluck for a man who has seen many of his limited-government principles trampled as Washington bailed out the nation’s financial sector and took ownership stakes in private companies.

 

And incoming President Barack Obama is a passionate advocate for activist government, backed by large majorities of like-minded lawmakers in both chambers of Congress.