2008 California Election Forum

The federal government is continuing to grow. And, it has huge, negative implications.

For example, as government grows several negative consequences occur to the economy:

• Taxes increase, hurting families and a growing economy.
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• Inflation increases, costing more to live, a hidden, immoral tax.
• The economy begins to choke as incentive and entrepreneurship is choked out.
• Plus, people on the government payroll tend to want that payroll to increase, creating a powerful voting block for bigger government.

Freedom is threatened as choices decline. And, a big government bureaucracy in a secular world would becomes increasingly hostile to entrepreneurs and business growths, individual freedom and choices and people of faith and morals.

So look at the trend:

• 28.3% of the population relied on the government for a substantial portion of their income in 1950. It rose to 55% in 1980, but Ronald Reagan cut that so by 2000 it was 49.4%.
  
  Sadly, by 2004 it grew to 52.6%. I'm afraid today it's most likely over 55%.
• Nearly 1 in 5 people work for the federal, state and local government or their company depends on government contracts.
• More than 2 million people receive housing assistance
• 19 million are receiving food stamps
• 1 in 5 receive social security or a federal pension

It's time to reduce the size of government, not increase it. Listen closely to those candidates who go beyond a pledge not to increase spending, but who actually favor cutting spending, taxes and regulations.

To fight poverty, we don't need economic tax and regulation policies that hurt business growth. We need fewer taxes and less regulation to increase economic prosperity and opportunity.

Thanks to President Bush's tax cuts, the nation's poverty rate has declined according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The 12.6% rate of 2005 fell to 12.3% in 2006.

As Christians, we must be concerned about taxes, government debt and inflation as they impact our economic well-being.

A growing economy means less poverty and more wealth. It's what differentiates a free-market economy where everyone is lifted to better living conditions versus a government-controlled economy where class warfare, an economic elite and widespread poverty exist.

But the poor in the United States and everyone else are facing great economic turmoil if we don't follow God's principle of living within our means.

Some problems:

• Social Security currently has a liability of over $13.4 trillion.
• Medicare is more than $70.5 trillion.
• Interest to finance the growing debt is money wasted on bankers at $2.4 trillion.

One of the things that's needed to save our economy is the establishment of private retirement accounts for those under 60.

Without a big fix, expect a financial nightmare in about 4 years.

California Debt Nightmare Will Hurt Families

Governor Schwarzenegger and the liberal legislators have been warned by the nonpartisan legislative analyst, Elizabeth Hill, that Wall Street will lower California's credit rating and increase the costly interest rates of the current $86 billion in bonds we voted for.

Bonds are the most expensive way to finance a project, costing taxpayers about $2.00 for every $1.00 spent.

Right now, each $1 billion of new bonds, sold at 5% interest, adds close to $65 million annually to the state debit costs...for as long as 30 years.

Property Tax Relief?

Question: Will a politician step forward to help homeowners lower their assessed values as the value of their house is falling?

The Los Angeles City Council and Mayor Villaraigosa have been soundly rebuffed by one of the judges they supported in the last election, Judge Dzintra Janavs.

The City Council and Mayor Villaraigosa had voted for the antifamily economic suicide of the so-called “living wage” ordinance for businesses located around Los Angeles International Airport. The ordinance demands businesses pay $10.64 an hour to all employees.

The ordinance was previously challenged by local citizens who banded together and signed petitions to block the law. The city then showed its demagoguery by slightly changing the ordinance and replaced it with the one now being fought in court.

Ten council members voted for the deceitful legislation and three opposed. The Mayor signed it into effect.

However, Judge Janavs has blocked the ordinance until at least May to allow her time to study the issue.

Bottom line: the city has no right to set worker wages. They have no right to discriminate against businesses in a certain area. The groups that will be hurt the most will be small businesses, weaker competitors, the taxpayers, the employees that will lose jobs and all those who benefit from competition and services around Los Angeles International Airport.

We hope you found this article to be informative. To visit more articles and for additional information regarding the upcoming elections, please visit www.ElectionForum.org.