Dan McLaughlin

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To Home Page Latest Newsletter Column Archives Click to get these columns for your local paperd	Post Comments Below © 2007 Daniel J. McLaughlin Politicians And Slick Promoters Human society has a positive effect on its members because individuals are able to interact and to benefit from the knowledge, skills and resources of a large number of people through trade. In modern society, there is more interaction than ever before, with a higher level of well being than any previous time. Yet, in every society, people continually have desires that haven’t been satisfied. Each legislative district and community has what they consider urgent projects that should be funded. Local politicians and vested interests are pressing those in higher positions of power to loosen the purse strings, to pass legislation to help this business, or to fund that project, which everyone obviously needs. Officials in every geographic area have a long laundry list of things that they lack. When they look to a central government for their goodies, it is known as “Pork Barrel Spending”, the use of general tax money for the benefit of the few. A politician’s constituents often like it because it brings lots of dollars their way, and the politician likes it because it is the currency used to buy votes. Everyone, however, pays a very high price for the indiscretion in the long run, as we are slowly coming to realize. There are many trillions of dollars available outside of government to fund every project that is truly necessary. Much more would be available if it wasn’t confiscated through taxes. If a project is not being funded by private investors or non-profit organizations acting on their own, that should tell you something about the viability of the project and the true need in the community. If a project in not an economically viable investment on its own, then it is a work of charity. Works of charity should, without exception, be left to private individuals, or to churches and other charitable organizations and foundations to fund. That is the very reason for their existence. Mixing government and investment and charity is the recipe for chaos, waste and corruption. Whether it is an electric generating plant, an ethanol producer, a downtown to be developed, a wind farm or a housing project, the money has to come from somewhere. The only legitimate source of funds is from people who are willing to pay for it with their own money. Taking it from anyone else without their consent is theft, whether the victims are rich, poor or middle class. If the only reason that companies are willing to undertake a specific project is the millions of dollars of government largess they are able to extract from taxpayers, then it is quite obvious that the project is not viable on its own and should be abandoned. Large headlines tell of the loss of thousands of potential jobs if the government doesn’t come through with the goodies. The shocking reality is that the tax dollars needed to make those thousands of jobs is money stolen from the pockets of taxpayers. They, in turn, no longer have the cash of their own to invest in jobs in their own region or state or county or city. Those jobs created come at the expense of other jobs. You only see the jobs that are created. You never see those that are prevented from ever existing. The investment you see comes from preventing the original producer of that money from spending it as he or she deems best. It is unbelievable hubris for a politician, who uses other people’s money and risks none of his or her own, to believe he or she knows how to invest better than those who risk their own money and have an intense personal interest in making effective investments. The massive waste and ineffectiveness of government investments and programs is legendary. It is understandable that politicians and political entrepreneurs with a vested interest can talk of the benefits of using tax money to fund projects, but it is amazing that normal, well educated people can still think that government investment is good for the country and the economy as a whole. Eventually, there may come a time when enough people realize the extent to which they are being imposed upon and start to speak out. Maybe then politicians and slick promoters will be held accountable for the lies they tell the citizens who are supposed to trust them. Maybe then, the people of this country can take back their heritage to become the leaders in something other than war. I won’t hold my breath waiting.
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Daniel Mclaughlin Copyright © 2007 [Daniel McLaughlin]. All rights reserved. Revised: 01/06/08

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Daniel McLaughlin

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Politicians And Slick Promoters

Human society has a positive effect on its members because individuals are able to interact and to benefit from the knowledge, skills and resources of a large number of people through trade. In modern society, there is more interaction than ever before, with a higher level of well being than any previous time. Yet, in every society, people continually have desires that haven’t been satisfied.

Each legislative district and community has what they consider urgent projects that should be funded. Local politicians and vested interests are pressing those in higher positions of power to loosen the purse strings, to pass legislation to help this business, or to fund that project, which everyone obviously needs. Officials in every geographic area have a long laundry list of things that they lack. When they look to a central government for their goodies, it is known as “Pork Barrel Spending”, the use of general tax money for the benefit of the few. A politician’s constituents often like it because it brings lots of dollars their way, and the politician likes it because it is the currency used to buy votes. Everyone, however, pays a very high price for the indiscretion in the long run, as we are slowly coming to realize.

There are many trillions of dollars available outside of government to fund every project that is truly necessary. Much more would be available if it wasn’t confiscated through taxes. If a project is not being funded by private investors or non-profit organizations acting on their own, that should tell you something about the viability of the project and the true need in the community. If a project in not an economically viable investment on its own, then it is a work of charity. Works of charity should, without exception, be left to private individuals, or to churches and other charitable organizations and foundations to fund. That is the very reason for their existence. Mixing government and investment and charity is the recipe for chaos, waste and corruption.

Whether it is an electric generating plant, an ethanol producer, a downtown to be developed, a wind farm or a housing project, the money has to come from somewhere. The only legitimate source of funds is from people who are willing to pay for it with their own money. Taking it from anyone else without their consent is theft, whether the victims are rich, poor or middle class. If the only reason that companies are willing to undertake a specific project is the millions of dollars of government largess they are able to extract from taxpayers, then it is quite obvious that the project is not viable on its own and should be abandoned.

Large headlines tell of the loss of thousands of potential jobs if the government doesn’t come through with the goodies. The shocking reality is that the tax dollars needed to make those thousands of jobs is money stolen from the pockets of taxpayers. They, in turn, no longer have the cash of their own to invest in jobs in their own region or state or county or city. Those jobs created come at the expense of other jobs. You only see the jobs that are created. You never see those that are prevented from ever existing. The investment you see comes from preventing the original producer of that money from spending it as he or she deems best. It is unbelievable hubris for a politician, who uses other people’s money and risks none of his or her own, to believe he or she knows how to invest better than those who risk their own money and have an intense personal interest in making effective investments.

The massive waste and ineffectiveness of government investments and programs is legendary. It is understandable that politicians and political entrepreneurs with a vested interest can talk of the benefits of using tax money to fund projects, but it is amazing that normal, well educated people can still think that government investment is good for the country and the economy as a whole.

Eventually, there may come a time when enough people realize the extent to which they are being imposed upon and start to speak out. Maybe then politicians and slick promoters will be held accountable for the lies they tell the citizens who are supposed to trust them. Maybe then, the people of this country can take back their heritage to become the leaders in something other than war. I won’t hold my breath waiting.

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