With the economy in a tailspin, most people are concerned about the shrinking number of job opportunities. Those who have jobs fear that they will lose them; those who have already lost their jobs find that new ones are few and far between.
Who is to blame for this sad state of affairs? While Obama is only making matters worse by his ill-conceived policies, earlier Republican administrations are just as much to blame for creating our economic woes. Study after study shows that taxes, regulations, and trade restrictions destroy the Mom-and-Pop businesses that create most of America’s jobs. Both Democrats and Republicans have voted for all three, even when paying lip service to smaller government. The economic stagnation we are now experiencing can be laid at the feet of both parties.
The disadvantaged would-be entrepreneurs are hurt the most by the added expenses and red tape put in place by both Republicans and Democrats. Regulators in several states have tried to drive African-Americans out of the hair-braiding business because they didn’t have a cosmetology license, which costs about $5000 for the year-long course which doesn’t even teach braiding. In Texas, regulators insist that computer repair technicians get a costly private investigator license that requires a three year apprenticeship—or go to jail! Florists in Louisiana have to pass a rigorous licensing exam, even though experts can’t tell which floral arrangements were created by licensed or unlicensed practitioners. I could go on, but you get the idea. These regulations cost would-be entrepreneurs time and money, so that fewer individuals can afford these extras. Fewer service providers translates into higher consumer prices.
Unlike Libertarians, both Republicans and Democrats support such regulations. Consequently, those frustrated by them turn to the libertarian Institute for Justice (IJ), a non-profit legal firm that takes such cases pro-bono. In state after state, IJ has fought for our right to make an honest living—and won! Visit their web-site (www.ij.org) to see the smiling faces of the IJ clients who have the job of their dreams because libertarians came to their rescue!
Imagine what a Libertarian president could do for the national economy when he or she stopped federal regulators from killing the jobs that Americans need to feed their families. The average federal regulator destroys 150 private sector jobs per year. For every regulator who lost his or her job, the American citizenry would gain 150 new ones! With that rate of job creation, the out-of-work regulators would probably find themselves speedily rehired. More people working means more wealth creation for all and lower prices for consumers. Everyone wins!
Right now, the American government, at both the state and national level, is at war with its citizens, especially those too disadvantaged to jump through the regulatory hoops. Isn’t it time to end the “war on work” and enjoy the “peace dividend” of more jobs and greater prosperity? Isn’t it time to vote Libertarian?
Mary J. Ruwart, Ph.D., is the author of the award-winning international best-seller, Healing Our World; the 1992 version is available as a free download at www.ruwart.com. Dr. Ruwart is also the author of Short Answers to the Tough Questions based on her long-running web column (http://www.server.theadvocates.org/ruwart/categories_list.php). She currently serves as an At-Large Representative of the Libertarian National Committee, Chair of the International Society for Individual Liberty (www.isil.org) and Secretary of the Foundation for a Free Society (www.f4fs.org).
