Government has an insatiable appetite and never seems to get enough money to satisfy its hunger, writes Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister in his latest column.
“Maybe that’s because 1) politicians get to have more power and be more popular when they have more money to give away, and 2) many liberal and populist politicians and citizens believe bigger government is the solution to every problem, which has created an entitlement mentality,” he says, adding that starting new government programs and giving away money is a better way to get re-elected than cutting programs and taking services away.
To McCollister, this mentality has weakened Louisiana and America.
“Instead of our national and state governments simply focusing on their roles to protect and defend, educate (and that is not a national role), build infrastructure and provide justice, many seem intent on going far beyond that and creating a ‘nanny state’ where government is supposed to take care of a litany of everyone’s needs,” he writes. “Instead of a limited government that supports the individual’s pursuit of the American dream, with all the freedoms and rights in our Constitution, these folks suggest you just lay down and rest, and dream about what else government can do for you.”
McCollister points to a recent column by Louisiana Association of Business and Industry President and CEO Stephen Waguespack. In that column, Waguespack criticizes and compares Gov. John Bel Edwards’ recent plan for raising taxes to the “Huey Long model,” which “sends hard earned tax dollars to the state capitol each year in the hopes of good schools, dependable roads and a stable economy and proven to be a bankrupt game plan.”
“Edwards, a populist like Long and the ‘other Gov. Edwards,’ claims that businesses need to pay ‘their fair share.’ As Waguespack points out, businesses pay most property taxes, individual and corporate taxes, half of all the sales taxes (highest rate in the nation), franchise tax (which most states don’t have), severance taxes and gas taxes. He states that the governor’s position on fair share is ‘patently false,’” McCollister writes. “The battle is on this session, and it is about more than just money. It’s about a philosophy and the role of government, too—and what we can afford to continue doing.”
Read the full column, in which McCollister also tackles overreaching government regulation on banks and red light cameras in Baton Rouge. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
