Speaking forcefully about one of her signature causes on Saturday, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin ripped the crony capitalism practiced by the permanent political class that has extracted wealth from Americans to enrich the politically connected in Washington, D.C. 

"If you don't have a team of lobbyists in D.C., you are not at the table, you are on the menu," Palin said during her speech at CPAC on Saturday. 

She said the greatest lie liberals tell is that more government will benefit Americans. She ripped Washington for being an "island of prosperity" in a nation struggling amidst a dire recession.

Palin said as government expands, the well-connected benefit. "The more crony capitalists win, the more the rest of us lose," she explained. She cited Obama's green energy boondoggles and free cell phones as examples.

She urged conservatives--like Margaret Thatcher did--to differentiate between being pro-business and pro-free markets and to put a "stake through the heart of 'Too Big to Fail.'"  

Photo Credit: Shealah Craighead