We have become a nation that looks to government as an essential source of economic sustenance. In 2011, nearly half of the
With several millions of public servants whose full time occupation it is to originate new laws, regulations, programs, and agencies, and/or to expand existing ones, and for who not to do so would be a dereliction of duty, ever-growing government has become institutionalized. Elected officials at all levels of government measure their “accomplishments” by how many new laws and programs they enact. Moreover, there are legends of citizens clamoring that this is their proper duty. “More...more...more!” they cry. More laws to control the disagreeable behavior of their neighbors, more regulation to reign in “corporate greed,” more programs to support welfare, education, health, the environment, the elderly, the young, the middle class--more money taken from some and given to others. In
So what’s to worry? Shouldn’t wrongs be righted? Shouldn’t the haves support the have nots? The problems arise from the unintended consequences, and to a greater degree, from the unconsidered consequences. Most every government action, it seems, is judged on its face value, on what it professes to accomplish, with little regard for the real world outcome. Although some basic laws are clearly necessary, the fact is that government policies and programs simply cannot “fix” the majority of society’s problems. Most often, the government’s actions amount to little more than putting a new suit of clothes on the problem and shuffling it down the hall—at tax payer expense.
So called “jobs programs” are a prime example. In order to implement such programs, government must first extract the necessary resources from the private sector-- the sector that supports the bulk of all jobs. The funds are then used, after subtracting administrative costs, to hire persons to perform some alternative activity. This mechanism does not result in a net increase in jobs. Rather, it generally results in a net loss of jobs due to the additional costs and inefficiencies created. The sheer size of government itself is a problem. When, as it has, government at all levels comes to control forty percent of the nation’s total annual output, the economy suffers. And we are experiencing that result today.
Finally, there is the problem of personal freedom. By definition, every new law or regulation results in a loss of personal freedom for many. At minimum, nearly all new programs or statutes require additional taxes to be extracted from some household’s bank account. Apparently, we feel no remorse in demanding that government attend to our personal problems, even our pet peeves, at the expense of our neighbor.
