Rich's Random Thoughts

RICH'S RANDOM THOUGHTS

By Rich Briggs
The Weekly Recorder
May 2, 2008

*I have read some interesting pieces of information the last few weeks regarding some issues during this election cycle. There are two common denominators that come forth and both are making me wonder where we are headed as a country. The two Democratic candidates, in some form or another, are campaigning on the basis that the government is going to help solve your problems. This is supported by an article I saw in a magazine about how big government is back and may be back for good. That scares me.

I am conservative with a tilt toward being a libertarian. I do not want the government intruding into my life. Why others want the government to solve their, and our, problems is beyond me, but that is their decision and their preference. As these candidates make their way to Indiana, I found out over the weekend that the Indiana voters are very much for keeping the government out of their lives. I cannot say that I blame them. Which candidate this favors will be very interesting.

The other side of that coin is that everyone seems to think we should be on a level playing field in terms of working classification. Since when do we punish people for being successful? Don’t we tell our children to make something out of themselves and become successful at that? Then why do we seem intent on punishing those who have worked hard to get where they are at?

I come from a working class, union family, so no one is going to tell me anything about middle class, or working people. I grew up in this environment and it is something I am very proud of. The work ethic was planted early, although I have learned to work smarter, and not harder, as I have gotten older. However, my father told me, as I have stated in the past, that he wanted to me to use my head to make a living and not to use my back. He did not want me to suffer through physical impairments like he did. For that, I am also very grateful and remember it everyday.

Yes, the majority of the people in this country are working class people, so I know where they come from. I consider myself a white collar worker with blue collar roots. I do not see anything wrong with that, either. I also believe that you should keep as much of the money you earn as possible. The government has no right to the money you earn. What we pay in taxes should be spent in an efficient manner and not how it has been spent all these years. Except the government, and these candidates, feel it is their right to take your money and spend it for you. Wrong!

Businesses create jobs (careers), period. Someone who starts a business needs a low tax rate in order for the business to survive and thrive. Then that person can start to hire people to work for him or her. Pennsylvania is one of the worst states in the union for businesses and job creation. Our current governor can’t seem to get that through his head. We pay more in taxes than anyone else except perhaps one state and it is killing our business atmosphere. People cannot find work because businesses refuse to come to this state.

What is even scarier is that the government is now becoming one of the largest employers in the country. Guess who and what is paying for those people to work for the government? You, me and our tax dollars. Is this something we want? If so, then we have it. If not, then we have to make a change. And no, not the kind of change we have been hearing about on the campaign trail.

There is always going to be a disparity between those who work in an office setting and those who work in a manufacturing setting. A high powered executive will work 80 to 90 hours a week for a six, or seven, figure salary, so that money is earned. I am not the least bit envious of someone who works those kinds of hours, but that is the reality of economics. The other side of the argument is someone who works in a blue collar setting who could work 40, 50, or sometimes even 60 hours a week. That money is also well earned. However, again, someone in the business world, with a degree, is going to earn more money. That is just the rule of economics. No job is more important than the other. Each needs the other to survive.

There is no need to single one group of people out from the other in terms of economics. We are always going to have business people who earn seven figure salaries because they run major companies and corporations. Yet, they need those in the manufacturing setting to keep the product in production. Again, each needs the other to continue to exist.

On either scale, both need the government to stay out of their way while they conduct business, manufacture the product, and move the economy along. Government cannot do that. You cannot tax your way to prosperity. That has been proven time and time again, yet there are those who insist on raising taxes so that the government can start new programs, most of which are not needed.

One other item that I read about concerning these two entities is freedom. The more we give over to our government, the less freedom we will have. I have read many times how this country is slowly turning into a socialist state. This is sad, but true. The more we expect the government to take care of us, the less freedom we will have. I don’t know about the rest of the populace, but I enjoy my freedom and I do not want it taken away from me. That is what will happen if we vote for a socialist agenda.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to think we are smarter than some of our elected officials are making us out to be. I would like to think that we are bigger than the government that is supposed to be representing us. I would like believe that we value our freedom over an intrusive government that will slowly, but surely, take away our freedoms if we let it. I am very strongly inclined to vote for None of the Above in the fall because none of the three candidates has said, or done, anything to remotely impress me, especially the Democratic candidates. I am just not buying the hype.

We have every reason to complain about the prices of everything today, from gasoline to everyday products we have to purchase that are affected by gas prices. There is only so much to go around. But don’t expect the government to intervene, or we will be in an even bigger mess than we are now. Vote with your feet, your purchases, and your decisions. One of the best things that ever happened to my neighborhood is the Dollar General that was built. I never knew so much could be available so inexpensively under one roof. It is convenient and makes decision making so much easier.

We have an opportunity this year to tell those would be candidates how we really feel about their positions on the issues and tell them how we want things done. The president’s number one priority is the safety and welfare of this country. No president is going to create jobs. Businesses create jobs. The government is supposed to create the environment that will allow jobs to be created. Right now, in Pennsylvania, that is not happening. I do not count retail positions as jobs, even though they are needed. We need real business and real industry. But with taxes the way they are, that is not going to happen.

Blue collar or white collar, office worker or dock worker, CEO or truck driver, we are all in this together. We need to set aside our differences and work for the common good. Management and labor must shake hands and work together to keep businesses moving and our economy growing, and both must tell the government that we are mad as hell and we aren’t going to take it anymore. Get rid of these ridiculous taxes and let us run our businesses and our own lives.