Here is my view on government.
America was formed on the basis of “government by the consent of the governed.” This has proven to be the way things ought to be, but it does not necessarily result in a perfect outcome. The major reason that governing by the people will never satisfy everyone is because there are differing political parties with drastically different views on every topic. Even though everyone has freedom to participate in political processes, it does not ensure that the government is running exactly as the people would like it to, but as the majority would like it to. Often our choices are not between good and bad, but in trying to determine which is “less bad.” Throughout the past up until now, government has continually expanded and in the opinion of many, gotten worse. What we can learn from the past is that less federal government interference with private citizens was indeed better and with the increasing divisiveness between the two dominate national political parties and the alarming growth in our national debt, our country is drifting farther and farther away from the original intentions of the founding fathers.
Our country was founded on the basic principles of hard work, entrepreneurship, freedom and individual rights. Within the past couple hundred years that has changed drastically. Even though it claims otherwise, evidence clearly points out that our current government is actually anti-business and pro-entitlement. With the government seeking to take control of the lives of all citizens (legal and illegal) there is an increase of lifestyle social programs that provide millions of people with free handouts funded via the taxpayer. The danger here is that soon there will not be enough producers to sustain the increasing numbers of those who have come to rely on the government’s money to pay their way in life. Quite frankly this is not the government’s job! Citizens used to demand limited federal government power and intervention in their lives. Proud people would rather starve than accept a handout. People had dignity. Contrast that with now where in alarming numbers people are begging and frankly demanding that the government hand them free checks for not only temporary needs but for long term wants as well. The problem is, once a social program is started, it is virtually impossible to stop because people quickly begin to rely on these programs and will never vote for anyone or anything that will take them away.
We need to be responsible for our own life. America was not founded upon the redistribution of wealth. It is not right for the increasingly bigger percentage of people in America to live off of someone else’s hard earned money. If someone sacrifices and works extremely hard to obtain an education, then work extraordinary hours, then take financial risks to build businesses, then why are they the bad guys? These are the ones that the government is penalizing with higher taxes and responsibility for social burdens. Contrast this with those who put forth little or no effort to seek training yet are rewarded with money through the governments grand plan for wealth redistribution. In reality it should be the other way around. If taxes were gradually reduced rather than increased for higher incomes, these already motivated people would be incentivized to work even harder to achieve the American dream because they would keep more not less of what they earn. The government is making this country uncompetitive in the world economy and forcing more and more jobs to go overseas because of what seems to be daily increases in regulation and red tape which strangle business making it nearly impossible and uneconomical to run businesses. On top of this, the government showcases the benefits that come with not working, with being lazy and waiting for the free payouts. This does not make any sense.
A huge political issue right now is the topic of immigration. The issue is not a problem of anti-immigration or racism; it is an issue of people coming in to this country illegally. When America was formed people came into this country legally and their motive was to seek freedom from tyrannical governments and freedom to work and achieve. Sadly now many who come into this country illegally come with the hope of enjoying the plethora of taxpayer funded social programs. For example, it is not right for taxpayers to pay for public education of students whose parents are illegal and do not pay taxes. It is not right for taxpayers to cover the costs of medical care for illegals. Take a look at our prisons. Many in prison are illegally in this country. They came here to live a life of crime. Who is paying for their stay in prison? The taxpayer of course. Yet, those who are tough on illegal immigration are looked at as being horrible. You need to look no further than Arizona. When the State tried to protect its citizens by tightening immigration laws, people outside of the state immediately protested by boycotting Arizona businesses and demanding that the groups they associate with not hold events, conventions, etc. in Arizona. What in the name of Patrick Henry is going on here?
Our country was founded on the basic principles of hard work, entrepreneurship, freedom and individual rights. Within the past couple hundred years that has changed drastically. Even though it claims otherwise, evidence clearly points out that our current government is actually anti-business and pro-entitlement. With the government seeking to take control of the lives of all citizens (legal and illegal) there is an increase of lifestyle social programs that provide millions of people with free handouts funded via the taxpayer. The danger here is that soon there will not be enough producers to sustain the increasing numbers of those who have come to rely on the government’s money to pay their way in life. Quite frankly this is not the government’s job! Citizens used to demand limited federal government power and intervention in their lives. Proud people would rather starve than accept a handout. People had dignity. Contrast that with now where in alarming numbers people are begging and frankly demanding that the government hand them free checks for not only temporary needs but for long term wants as well. The problem is, once a social program is started, it is virtually impossible to stop because people quickly begin to rely on these programs and will never vote for anyone or anything that will take them away.
We need to be responsible for our own life. America was not founded upon the redistribution of wealth. It is not right for the increasingly bigger percentage of people in America to live off of someone else’s hard earned money. If someone sacrifices and works extremely hard to obtain an education, then work extraordinary hours, then take financial risks to build businesses, then why are they the bad guys? These are the ones that the government is penalizing with higher taxes and responsibility for social burdens. Contrast this with those who put forth little or no effort to seek training yet are rewarded with money through the governments grand plan for wealth redistribution. In reality it should be the other way around. If taxes were gradually reduced rather than increased for higher incomes, these already motivated people would be incentivized to work even harder to achieve the American dream because they would keep more not less of what they earn. The government is making this country uncompetitive in the world economy and forcing more and more jobs to go overseas because of what seems to be daily increases in regulation and red tape which strangle business making it nearly impossible and uneconomical to run businesses. On top of this, the government showcases the benefits that come with not working, with being lazy and waiting for the free payouts. This does not make any sense.
A huge political issue right now is the topic of immigration. The issue is not a problem of anti-immigration or racism; it is an issue of people coming in to this country illegally. When America was formed people came into this country legally and their motive was to seek freedom from tyrannical governments and freedom to work and achieve. Sadly now many who come into this country illegally come with the hope of enjoying the plethora of taxpayer funded social programs. For example, it is not right for taxpayers to pay for public education of students whose parents are illegal and do not pay taxes. It is not right for taxpayers to cover the costs of medical care for illegals. Take a look at our prisons. Many in prison are illegally in this country. They came here to live a life of crime. Who is paying for their stay in prison? The taxpayer of course. Yet, those who are tough on illegal immigration are looked at as being horrible. You need to look no further than Arizona. When the State tried to protect its citizens by tightening immigration laws, people outside of the state immediately protested by boycotting Arizona businesses and demanding that the groups they associate with not hold events, conventions, etc. in Arizona. What in the name of Patrick Henry is going on here?
Political parties are ultimately what have pushed our country farther and farther away from its original goals. With lack of term limits in many positions, career politicians are more interested in re-election than responsible governing. The desire for power and the polarizing of opinions will make a course change extremely and sadly perhaps impossible to make. We’ve really learned nothing from the past. If anything we have strayed too far off the path to even re-correct ourselves. We are now a land of entitlement rather than a land of opportunity. We’ve replaced the American dream with American welfare. If we had learned anything we would not have trillions of dollars in debt. The country has faced challenges both past and present with immigration, political party rivalries and national debt. Immigration may have been handled in a more organized way at the start of American history, but the problems with polarized political parties and debt are continuing to get worse. Unfortunately the majority of Americans and illegal immigrants who reside here have twisted the words of John F. Kennedy which were “And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Now it’s more like, to heck with the country, what’s in it for me?
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