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Watch Out – The Legislature Is In Session!

By Theresa Fritz Camoriano

This is a dangerous time of year – the time when the state legislature is in session, and our elected officials are trying to make our lives better.  Why do they always seem to think that the way to improve our lives is to take away more of our money and regulate us more?  I recently asked my state representative to be more like the esteemed Ronald Reagan and go take a nap!  That would do more to make my life better than most of the shenanigans they are planning to pull in Frankfort this year.  Alas, even after taking a nap he still seems to have enough time to propose more regulations and spending projects.

I have been noticing an interesting trend in which government uses its existing powers as leverage to gain still more power – a sort of government blackmail.  Here are some examples:

1.       Money extracted from smokers has been used to promote the banning of smoking in private businesses. 

2.       The federal government is holding federal gasoline tax money hostage in order to pressure states to pass laws that will make it a primary offense to fail to wear a seatbelt. 

3.       There is a bill before the Kentucky legislature that would force home schoolers to make formal reports to the state if they want to be able to get a driver’s license.

4.       The Governor of Kentucky is offering to give Louisville back $75 million of the money its taxpayers have sent him if it agrees to build a sports arena that will cost over $400 million. 

Much of this blackmail adds pressure to the legislators to further restrict our freedoms.  For example, how can they pass up the opportunity to get $75 million of “free money” to build an arena or more millions to maintain the highways?  The trouble is that there is no “free money”.  In the end, all that money comes from our pockets.  If our elected officials really want to make our lives better, they should be figuring out how to prevent that money from being taken away from us in the first place!

They should demand that the federal gasoline taxes that are paid in Kentucky be spent here for highways and bridges.  If that doesn’t happen, they should stop paying them! 

Legislators should demand that at least 80% of the money their county sends to Frankfort be spent to serve their local people.  It is not the job of state government to redistribute money from one region to another, and the state should not be returning our own tax money with lots of strings attached. 

Last week I spent a good deal of time paying annual and quarterly employment taxes, preparing W-2s and 1099s, and making the reports for my employees.  You have no idea how much fun I had working for the state, federal, and local governments for no pay, or what pleasure I get in being forced to be the agent who takes hard-earned money from my employees and gives it to the government.  So, now I am going to escape to watch the Super Bowl, where, for at least a few hours, I can fantasize that the people who work hard and make the best use of their natural talents will win (at least until the tax man comes to take their money and give it to some blasted bureaucrat!). 

See also:  The joy of football http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4554

Why are ceos paid so much? http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4555

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