Budget Watch Nevada

In honor of July 4th, I’m going to take a holiday from writing an original blog, and cheat by copying a GREAT OPINION piece that came out in the R-J this past weekend. Steven Greenhut, columnist for the Orange County (California) Register, wrote an article about our eroding freedoms that you guys are going to love. I’ll copy an excerpt, and then you can link to the entire column if you’d like.

After repeating the always-inspiring preamble to the Declaration of Independence, Steven adds, “That’s radical stuff, a call to revolution against a government that imposed unjust tax burdens, trampled on the rights of individuals, abused its power, and went far beyond the core mission of protecting the life, liberty and property of its citizens.”

“Most people nod in agreement about the importance of the Declaration, content with the sense that we are free Americans, who can live as we choose without suffering under the thumb of oppressive government.” Of course, we realist readers know better . . . . Continue, please, Steven . . .

“If I want to build a new house, I need to petition any number of government agencies and commissions, and can build only what they allow. Those agencies decide not only if my project conforms to some basic, easily understood rules, but whether it conforms to their own preferences regarding style, color, historical influences, size, number of stories, and so forth. If I ever want to add on or improve that house, I must wait until a government inspector approves it. If I am a developer, and want to build a larger number of properties on a site, I must fight for years to get approvals – and usually the final project will bear little resemblance in style or design to my original vision.

If I want to start a new business, I not only will have to pay a large portion of any earnings to the government, but I must first get all the necessary approvals from myriad governments. I must pay my employees a minimum rate determined by the government. They may only work the number of hours set by the government. If it’s a restaurant or business that serves the public, I must get a conditional-use permit – a long list of conditions that micromanage exactly how I run the place, from the hours to the number of tables, based on the whims of the commissioners who must approve the business.

The 18th century German poet Johann Goethe said: ‘None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free.’ Am I off-base to wonder whether we are careening down that road?”

Good stuff, indeed. Happy July 4th! Go out there and remind someone of the real meaning of Independence Day.