There are many reasons that government is the problem and not the solution. Because of a culture of condescension, an attitude of unaccountability, and no touch with reality, government typically bungles whatever it becomes involved with. Here are a number of reasons why government can’t get anything right.

Government looks at our money (taxes) as an unlimited source of funds. They feel as if all problems can be fixed by throwing ever increasing amounts of our money at them. There is a complete lack of any checks and balances to determine the effectiveness of government programs.

Government has no incentive to be efficient or effective. Unlike private enterprise, government has no motivation to be productive. Government has a captive market (us) who can not take its business elsewhere.

Government does not feel it is accountable to the people it serves. This is our fault. For the most part we keep electing the same people to office that caused the problems. Whether they are elected, appointed, or hired, government employees rarely, if ever, get fired for incompetence.

Government doesn’t take responsibility, they invariably pass the blame. Since they don’t admit to or recognize what the problem is, it will never be fixed.

Politics has become a profession rather than a community service. Our founding fathers never intended for this. Public servants were supposed to take a turn representing their constituents and then return to private life.

Compounding the problem is the fact that many politicians have never had a real job or have no experience running a business. Thus, they lose touch with reality as well as the challenges of real life.

Government has proven time and time again that it can’t manage finances. Whenever it spends money, there is mismanagement, cost overruns, and corruption.

Government action impedes free markets and stifles innovation.

If we are to get our country back on track we have to participate in how it’s run by voting out people who don’t act in our best interest. Vigilance is the price of freedom.

In order to survive tough economic times, private businesses downsize. They layoff employees, freeze salaries, reduce budgets, reduces prices, and look to economize in every possible area. Why doesn’t our government do the same?

Although it defies common sense, here is the action government takes in hard times:

• Government raises taxes
• Government spends more money
• Government votes itself raises
• Government creates new bureaucracies
• Government grows in size

Is it any wonder that government "help" typically makes situations worse?

Government needs to always remember that the money they spend is ours. We work very hard to earn it and government needs to treat our money with reverence. We are not an endless source of funds to be wasted, misused, and mismanaged by government.

When the government returns some our tax money to us they call it a rebate. It’s not a rebate, it is our money. Our tax money should only be used for essential services, not to bail out individuals and businesses that can not operate profitably. Our tax money must not be used to fund government excess.

Problems aren’t fixed by throwing an endless stream of our money at them. Problems are fixed by taking intelligent, well thought out action.

Wouldn’t it be great you owned a business where:

- Your customers must buy from you
- You can charge any price you want
- You have no competition
- You are not required to provide good customer service
- You don’t have to keep any promises
- If you are irresponsible and spend too much money all you have to do is raise your prices.

This is exactly how your government operates, and you own the government. Unfortunately, our public servants, who are hired (elected) to work for us, think that we work for them.

You, however, must live in the real world. In order for you to keep your job you must keep your employer or your customers happy. Fail to do this, and you will be either unemployed or out of business in short order.

When the economy is tough you have to cut back on spending, work harder to boost your income, or both. When necessary, you do with less. You don’t have the option of making other people give you more money.

Our government must be held to the same standards that apply to us. Our public servants waste no time in calling for us to sacrifice to correct the problems caused by their incompetence. This is completely backward from what it should be. We shouldn’t be punished for the government’s failures.

When government runs out of money it is only because it spends too much. The solution is to reduce spending and reduce the size of government. Any other action is irresponsible.

- Bryan Golden author of Dare to Live Without Limits