Issue 46.15
By the time you read this, the so-called “off year” elections will have been completed and you will either have new or returning city council people, mayors or county representatives that will be making decisions in your behalf. Those decisions will affect you and everyone around you, from your family to your friends, your business or employer and the citizens who depend on local government to keep them reasonably safe while protecting their individual freedoms.
It does not matter whether you voted for or against the people who won the election. They are now your representative and you deserve to be heard and your opinions considered in the decisions they make. It is not their business whether or not you voted for them. They do not represent just those who vote for them. They represent everyone in their political unit.
It is a sad fact that most of those who run for public office do not understand the principles upon which our freedom, prosperity and progress are based. If they have not read the U.S. Constitution (most have not) and the concepts that our founders read and understood, they will make mistakes that create problems in the future, even if their hearts are good and their intentions are pure. For example, it might seem like a good idea to a person with a kind heart to decide for their constituents (those who live in their voting area) that everyone should have a new car if they have a license to drive and that the government should provide the cars. This would lead to less accidents from mechanical failures, less lost work from people not being able to get to work when a car quits, and happier people which leads to a better chance of being re-elected.
The problem comes when the bill arrives. In my small town there are about 4000 people. Approximately 2500 of them are licensed drivers. A conservative average price for a basic new car is $15,000 but a nice car with extra safety features is more likely around $25,000 so the “government” has to come up with between
$37.5 million and $62.5 million to pay for this good deed. Where will the money come from? Taxing the people of course. (or borrowing it in a bond which adds interest to the cost) Where do taxes come from? The same people that person represents. Applied equally, that means each man woman and child in my town must give the government between $9.375 and $15, 625 this year in addition to all their other bills and taxes to the county, state and federal government. For my family of 11, that would bring a local tax bill of well over $100,000 not counting the cost of administering the program and paying the people who take all the applications and orders and distribute the cars, answer questions about the program and study and decide which cars we should have, what color, etc. The “cash for clunkers” program ended up costing about $2 million dollars for each car provided after totaling all the administrative costs. Not too efficient!
I admit this is an extreme example, but it is important to understand that one of the key principles our founders understood is that government does not provide, it gives people the opportunity to create wealth and control property so they can provide for themselves. There are a very few and limited things that are provided and that we all contribute to through our tax dollars. These include fire and police protection and some essential services we all choose to allow for all. Beyond keeping the peace and basic safety, the role of local government should be to promote rather than provide, encourage business rather than regulate it beyond necessity and encourage thrift and responsibility rather than bailing out people who make poor choices. Anything beyond that should come from the people directly when they see a need or emergency rather than from government.
Talk to your representatives, early and often. Inform yourself on guiding principles and explain them to your elected officials. Be kind but firm in requiring them to uphold the principles of freedom. Be reasonable and understanding, but be involved. Your opinion has more weight with a local representative than it ever will with the ones we send to Washington.
Lynn West is a thinker, a teacher and a patriot. You can reach him through email at forgingthefuture2021@gmail.com or through this newspaper. Liberty is a state of being which must be continually created. These articles can help all of us discover the ways we can contribute to that outcome.