By Dr. Harold Pease
“Outdated. Ancient. Irrelevant.” Those are some of the words used to describe the United States Constitution by many who wish to dismantle the freedom it protects. What many people fail to recognize is that at no other time in history has a nation been more prosperous, industrious, and innovative as America has been under the guidance of that document. At least 80% of all inventions on the planet came from our soil because the Constitution unleashed freedom and incentive as never before.
The answer to how we create jobs would be the same as the founding fathers: get the government’s nose out of business. Imagine if I offered my grandson an hourly allowance for mowing the lawn, and yet I required him to spend extra money on environmentally friendly gas, forbade him to work on days where the air quality was poor, and forced him to purchase health insurance, mower insurance, and unemployment insurance. To make ends meet, my grandson would have to double his cost. The whole operation becomes too expensive, so I lay off my grandson and hire the illegal immigrant down the street who will practically mow my lawn for free.
Excessive regulation smothers the free market, resulting in reduced profits, increased expense, decreased productivity, and devastating job loss. I watched Kern County’s version of this scenario play out on January 11, 2010, as I rushed to Sacramento to testify in opposition of the proposed 12.5% oil severance tax. I went in support of Assembly Woman Jean Fuller, along with some 350 industry workers, to fight what would have resulted in at least 7,000 lost jobs in Kern County alone. We think we have won this particular fight- for now. But the threat to the free market philosophy that provides our jobs is real, and there is no telling who Sacramento and Washington will choose to be the next victim of their self-imposed budget crisis.
President Reagan pulled us out of the most serious economic recession outside of our own since the Great Depression. The answer was Constitutionally based tax cuts, deregulation, budget cuts and a strict anti-inflation monetary policy. We must now do the same. We need to freeze additional hiring in all publicly financed entities just as the private sector does when the funds do not exist. California in particular needs to strengthen the borders, across which a half million illegal immigrants annually walk without penalty, taking jobs, draining social services, and costing the taxpayer an estimated 10.5 billion annually.
Most importantly, the free market needs a government-ectomy. George Washington said, “The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments.” Marvel no more, President Washington. Our patience has been exhausted and we are ready to reclaim the free market and restore this great land to prosperity and liberty. After all, it’s about liberty.