Letter to the Editor
Daily Press
February 6, 2009
In economic terms a balance should exist between unfettered capitalism and a big government methodology. The key word is “balance”. We have increasingly experimented with unfettered capitalism over the last twenty years. The economic disaster that has us by the throat is a direct result. By electing Barack Obama, the people spoke and rightly want our economic system to change .
In our efforts to put people to work, are we going to overcorrect toward big government as the employer of first resort? Are we going to abandon the strength of our economy, the historic dominance of the private sector over the public sector? This dominance seems to be threatened when the federal government only has to print, borrow or steal money.
Prior to this economic downturn the public sector was already making great progress toward supremacy. The seeming affluent economic atmosphere of the last six years stimulated massive, costly hiring in the public sector. Now the public sector is twice the size of the private sector and wages are twice as high even without benefits.
The private sector is impacted almost immediately in an economic downturn, as has been experienced. As people loose their homes and businesses the tax base is reduced. Now the public sector begins to awaken, the downturn is coming after my job. The massive spending of the stimulus package was largely a bailout boondoggle for this public sector. Yes, a few jobs may have been saved in the short term, but there was very little long term revenue stimulus directed toward the private sector.
Just for the purpose of definition this sector includes all governmental employees, federal, state, county and local municipalities. The educational establishment from kindergarten to graduate schools. The medical communities must be included. All these jobs are funded either directly or indirectly by our taxes and are a part of what this opinion calls the invested class, who have only suffered slightly in the market. This class makes decisions and votes according to the health of the stock market, their IRA’s, and pensions. The private sector is left to fend for itself.
Fend we shall but regardless of any stimulus package, we shall all be fending together very soon. California is a case in point. The tax base refuses to support the liberal excesses of our politicians who operate in an intellectual vacuum. There isn’t the money or the will to support big government, a big public sector and every illegal alien who strolls across our border. Yet this is what the politicians give us.
The rest of the country should take warning because as California goes “ so goes the nation”. The imbalance is critically visible and destructive to our country and freedom. It won't work.
G. Goslaw (Submitted but not Published)
Victorville, Ca. 92395
