Why the Push for the Libertarian Party?
| The Gross National Debt |
This blog is geared for small, mom and pop types of businesses run by people who may not have extensive computer training or knowledge about the Internet. I’m sharing answers to common questions that I get from small business owners who desperately need help with their computers or who have a web site that has no traffic or appreciable sales. Those subjects can get dry, so I like to add some fun stuff, opinions and political commentary. This election season, I’ve been pushing the Libertarian agenda because I think it’s worth consideration.
Forced Servitude to the Government
In a letter published in The Hill, an online political magazine, it was stated that Americans are working nearly 5 months out of the year just to pay taxes. Think about it - that is just outrageous. According to Tax Freedom Day, its data …
… has shown consistently in recent years that Americans (although individual circumstances vary widely) spend more of their time working to pay taxes than they do to pay for food, clothing and housing combined.
Citizens Against Government Waste reports an even more dire figure:
Cost of Government Day for 2008 is July 16. Americans now work more than half of the year 197 days to pay their share of the cost of government with 84 of those days due to federal spending alone
These statistics should be shocking. One would hope that voters will take notice and demand change, not rhetoric.
Unnecessary Waste
Much of this spending can be — and should be — reduced. The best compilation of wasted tax dollars comes from the Citizens Against Government Waste’s “Pig Book.” CAGW reports that, “The 2008 Pig Book identified 11,610 projects at a cost of $17.2 billion in the 12 Appropriations Acts for fiscal 2008. A “pork” project is a line-item in an appropriations bill that designates tax dollars for a specific purpose in circumvention of established budgetary procedures.”
If we handled our family budgets or small business finances the way that the government handles the money it takes from citizens, we would all be bankrupt.
This is only the tip of the iceburg as to why a political party advocating smaller government and less spending should be considered by all voters.
The Burden of Regulation
From a small business point of view, the amount of time spent on paperwork just to satisfy government regulation is costly, taking away from a business’ ability to increase its sales and revenue. The Voice of Small Business reports that the cost of dealing with government paperwork is rising 10% per year. They also report that:
Unreasonable government regulation, especially onerous paperwork burdens, continues to be a top concern for small business. According to a recent analysis by NFIB, the cost of federal paperwork nearly equals the amount Americans spend each year on defense.
Being a small-business owner means, more times than not, he/she is responsible for everything, including ordering inventory, hiring employees and dealing with the mandates imposed by federal, state and local governments. That is why government regulations, and the paperwork they generate, should be as simple as possible. The less time our small businesses spend with “government overhead,” the more they can spend growing their business, employing more people and growing America’s economy.
Uncle Sam is Voyeuristic
Emails, library book rentals and telephone calls are now subject to the prying eyes of government. Says Bob Barr, the Libertarian presidential candidate:
The Fourth Amendment was designed for precisely this purpose — to protect Americans from illegal searches and seizures by the government. Yet the Bush administration, aided by many Congressional Democrats and Republicans, has worked to gut both constitutional and legal protections for the privacy rights and civil liberties of American citizens. The next administration must reverse course, demonstrating that it recognizes it is tasked to defend a free society not undermine it.
Libertarian Party Logo
You Can Make A Difference
The above discussion barely touches on why big change needs to take place if we are to preserve the freedoms and principles that made America great. The media says that there are only two viable election choices: the Democrats and the Republicans. This is not true. The Libertarian Party, which is the nation’s third largest political party, offers real choice and real change. Here are some helpful links so you can learn more:
- The Libertarian Party - be sure to check out the issues and statements of principles to see where the party stands on major issues.
- Bob Barr 2008 - Barr is the Libertarian presidential candidate. His web site has a lot of great information, including press releases and issues summaries.
- Find Out Where You Stand - The results might surprise you!
If you are a small business owner or are simply tired of being a slave to government, vote Libertarian. It will be business, taxation and regulation as usual with the other two parties.
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