The state of West Virginia has so much going for it. There are things we need to preserve-like its natural beauty, the character of its communities, the low crime rate and our great people. We have excellent institutions of higher learning. There are some things we need to change. For example, our economy has struggled for decades.
That government is best which governs least – Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine is perhaps my favorite Founding Father. He wrote the pamphlet called Common Sense that is credited with inspiring the colonists to start the American Revolution. Just as the colonists demanded back then, we deserve a government that successfully fulfills its proper role. We are bound by our state constitution to provide an education for our children. Their success in life is in part dependent on the quality of education they receive. We must ensure that our children receive the best education possible. We need to ensure that our state infrastructure is sound. This includes safe and well maintained roads that facilitate transportation. Law enforcement and a fair and efficient court system are all functions of good government.
What government should avoid doing is doing more than it should. It should not provide goods and services traditionally provided by the private sector. And it should avoid putting its hands into the pockets of its citizens to the greatest extent possible. As the former Soviet Union proved, government is not very good at providing goods and services – it lacks the profit motive and therefore is not as motivated to satisfy its customers. Unfortunately, West Virginia ranks number one with regard to government involvement in the state economy.
We need to have a fair and level playing field in West Virginia, especially with regard to taxes. The fact that we have to award tax credits to companies to relocate here is a sure – fire signal that our taxes are too high. If we lower them for everyone, and make sure that everyone pays their share, we will eventually have more businesses operating in our state. This will lead to more jobs and, believe it or not, more tax revenues. Tax credits encourage business people to waste their precious resources lobbying the government for favors and the government in turn then wastes the public’s resources in the process. Giving tax breaks to out of state companies also make the companies already operating here want to pack up and leave.
What we need in West Virginia is Common Sense. We need a government that is just big enough to do its job and nothing more. The less resources consumed by the government, the more is left for productive and private enterprise. Let’s get to work and let’s get and keep West Virginia working.
Elliot Simon
State Issues
The state of West Virginia has so much going for it. There are things we need to preserve-like its natural beauty, the character of its communities, the low crime rate and our great people. We have excellent institutions of higher learning. There are some things we need to change. For example, our economy has struggled for decades.
That government is best which governs least – Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine is perhaps my favorite Founding Father. He wrote the pamphlet called Common Sense that is credited with inspiring the colonists to start the American Revolution. Just as the colonists demanded back then, we deserve a government that successfully fulfills its proper role. We are bound by our state constitution to provide an education for our children. Their success in life is in part dependent on the quality of education they receive. We must ensure that our children receive the best education possible. We need to ensure that our state infrastructure is sound. This includes safe and well maintained roads that facilitate transportation. Law enforcement and a fair and efficient court system are all functions of good government.
What government should avoid doing is doing more than it should. It should not provide goods and services traditionally provided by the private sector. And it should avoid putting its hands into the pockets of its citizens to the greatest extent possible. As the former Soviet Union proved, government is not very good at providing goods and services – it lacks the profit motive and therefore is not as motivated to satisfy its customers. Unfortunately, West Virginia ranks number one with regard to government involvement in the state economy.
We need to have a fair and level playing field in West Virginia, especially with regard to taxes. The fact that we have to award tax credits to companies to relocate here is a sure – fire signal that our taxes are too high. If we lower them for everyone, and make sure that everyone pays their share, we will eventually have more businesses operating in our state. This will lead to more jobs and, believe it or not, more tax revenues. Tax credits encourage business people to waste their precious resources lobbying the government for favors and the government in turn then wastes the public’s resources in the process. Giving tax breaks to out of state companies also make the companies already operating here want to pack up and leave.
What we need in West Virginia is Common Sense. We need a government that is just big enough to do its job and nothing more. The less resources consumed by the government, the more is left for productive and private enterprise. Let’s get to work and let’s get and keep West Virginia working.