Palin sings free-market praises

LAS VEGAS, May 24 (UPI) -- A free-market economy in which business owners control their fates is best for everyone, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said during a speech in Las Vegas.

"You understand the opportunities that we have here, especially in America," she said Sunday at an International Council of Shopping Centers meeting. "Let me ask you, do you love your freedom that you have here in America? Well, so do I."

Palin said Las Vegas embodies the entrepreneurial spirit because small-business owners know what it is like to make "something out of nothing," the Las Vegas Sun reported.

"I think that every politician who wants to run for office should have run a business before," Palin said. "You are the backbone of our nation's economy."

While advocating a hands-off government approach on most business dealings, Palin did say she hoped the Gulf of Mexico oil spill would lead to stricter government regulations on oil companies.

Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and current Fox News commentator, said when she was a Wasilla, Alaska, council member, she voted against anything that would restrict businesses, the Sun said. She told the audience she didn't want Wasilla to pass any ordinance that would deter businesses from settling there, and as a result the city became a small retail center.

"Other countries can look to America and see some of the ... things that we do that they can emulate," she said.