Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 26, 1992 TAG: 9202260343
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
TAXES BURDEN BUSINESS; VOTE LIBERTARIAN
I'M TIRED OF the stale arguments as to why we Americans are not globally competitive. Our wages may be somewhat higher than in most competing nations, but so what? As I see it, the biggest factor contributing to the too-high price of our products (what products are still left) is simply the cost of doing business in America.I never hear about the tax load that Americans, and particularly small businesses, are carrying as contributing to the cost of what we produce. A friend of mine in another state runs a small computer-repair business out of his garage. When all his taxes are added up, state, federal, double Social Security, etc., he is paying more than 50 percent. This is in spite of the fact that his wife is an accountant.
Small businesses always have been the economic backbone of this country. Where is the incentive for an unemployed technical professional, like myself, or anyone to start their own business? I won't even get into the devaluating effect on our currency of massive deficit spending.
Allocating funds to build new highways or awarding new defense contracts to boost the economy is ludicrous. This can be likened to taking a starving man's last slice of bread and handing him back two stale croutons.
We cannot continue to rely on big government to solve all our problems. I intend to abandon the Democrats and Republicans and vote for the Libertarian party in November. This country was founded on libertarian principles. Thomas Jefferson was a libertarian.
Libertarians stand for a truly free market, a return to our constitutional values, and an end to massive government spending/taxation. They are also the only political party that believes in a balanced federal budget. PAUL R. BERRY BOONES MILL