Mike Weinberger: Big Government Usually Hurts the Little Guy
Forget about divisions between Democrats and Republicans or black people and white people. Those are not the most critical yardsticks of our time.
Nor are the differences between city dwellers and suburbanites, men and women or blue-collar and white-collar workers.
No, the most important distinction between different groups of Americans today is this: Those who support big, controlling and dictatorial government and those who want less government and more freedom.
Some people love government. They want more and more of it. They want more government agencies, more government orders and even more government taxes. More taxes? Sure, because they want the tax money given to them — and to their “causes.”
On the other hand are people who want less government. They don’t want to be told what to do and they don’t want to ask the government for permission before they can add six feet onto their backyard deck.
They don’t want to be told to close their business, stop going to church or wear an unproven face mask every time they step into a Walmart.
They want the right to make their own decisions.
They also don’t want to be told to call 911 when someone is breaking into their home. They want the right to own a firearm and they want the right to defend themselves.
What is so ironic about the distinction between people who want less government and those who want more is this: Big-government supporters claim they are helping the little guy, but the reality is they are not. They are hurting him.
Who gets hurt when government orders a business shutdown: the family-owned hardware store or Lowes? The answer is obvious.
Big businesses and powerful people have the influence needed to work out a deal with government regulators, but the little guy doesn’t. He gets squashed.
And who gets hurt when big-government policies create a shortage of electricity and rolling “brownouts”? Well-off people who can afford a whole-house generator? Not much.
It’s usually middle-class homeowners and renters who rely on a utility for their electricity.
Indeed, who gets hurt when the price of a widget goes up because the government forced the Acme Widget Company to spend money to hire a diversity director and an outreach supervisor and a sustainability coordinator?
It’s not the rich. They can still afford as many widgets as they want, even if the price of widgets doubles. It’s the little guy, who could barely afford a widget to begin with. Now he is widget-less.
So I support less government and less government power. That’s because I am a fan of the little guy, the people who built this country and make it run. The people who can’t afford lobbyists and private guards.
I’m talking about people who work hard and play by the rules. I’m talking about people who cling to their Bibles and want the right to defend themselves. I’m talking about people who love freedom. I’m talking about Americans. I love them.
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.
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