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.