Growing America's economy not Washington's economy

Growing our economy is important now more than ever. Our country is on a path which needs to be reversed if we are ever to have a robust economy again one which creates a friendly business environment unlike what we have today. The election results sent a strong message to Washington and Washington had better listen. The next two years will be interesting to say the least. Changing our current path will not happen overnight but changing it is critical at this point in our country. Congress is spending faster than the money that is being received by the government.

The title of this article says it all our country’s economy is not growing or at least not growing at the pace it should to recover from the recession over the last several years but there is no recession in Washington. The federal government is growing larger by the day and in some cases by the minute. The federal government has gotten out of control. This in part is the result of overbearing regulations and rules issued by departments and agencies. Another aspect is our current tax structure which has been the focus in many discussions between politicians from both political parties but so far nothing has taken place.

Currently the message sent by the voters they want things to change and change may be forthcoming dependent upon the legislative actions to be taken by Republicans who now control both houses of Congress. Changing our direction will not be easy as I have previously mentioned for it will require standing up for the principles embodied in the Constitution. This means the Constitution should be honored by all elected officials. The actions of Congress and sometimes the President in the past have made decisions and created such an overreach by government that it amounts to ignoring what the framers of the Constitution envisioned when it was written.

One area where the American economy has seen a decline in growth is the rampant increase in regulations and rules hurting job creation. Government needs to get out of the way and let American workers and businesses have the freedom to create jobs with better wages and more opportunities. Businesses have been bombarded with rules and regulations for the last several years and as such there is no incentive to expand businesses or hire more workers. At this point government seems to be in control not the voters but the election hopefully will see this change.

I will agree that some rules and regulations are necessary but the volume and scope of them is burdening businesses with costs which they do not know what they will be from one year to another. Taxes are another area where government has generated more control over the economy. Overtaxing and overregulating are creating jobs but the jobs are for the wrong people. It creates government jobs and/or jobs in attempt to influence actions by Congress not private sector jobs.

One impact of overtaxing and overregulating our economy can be seen in lower paychecks.

The size of government needs to be reduced from its present level and go back to levels not seen in years and perhaps decades. Government needs to take lessons from several state governments who not only have reduced the size of their government but they have reduced taxes in some cases and wiped out deficits in their budgets from past administrations. The success of these state governments brings a breath of fresh air and represents how government should be working for the people not their political parties or special interest. Much legislation in some cases has overstepped the boundaries that have been given to the federal government in the Constitution. While there may be some examples where the federal government is the best source to resolve some issues others have usurped state authority and responsibilities. Amendment 10 to the Constitution is clear in stating powers not granted to the federal government are reserved for the states. The exact wording is provided below:

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Individuals who have served or will be serving in the next legislative sessions over the next two years need to understand and accept the responsibilities of the federal government provided in the Constitution and let the states perform their responsibilities. Granted sometimes the federal government may need to be involved but they should not be the ones directing the action. The federal government was meant to be a support function not dictating actions expect those specifically identified in the Constitution