Kentucky republican Sen. Rand Paul recently spoke to students of Howard University and told them that he wanted a government that left Americans alone. Later, during a question and answer session, a student commented that he didn’t want the government to leave him alone. Instead, he wanted the government to help him and do things for him. The student had bought into the idea that big government could solve his problems without creating any. He had bought into one of the great myths about liberalism.
We all have heard that “there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” This is true. In order for government to give something, it must first acquire that thing it is going to give. Government does not create anything other than regulation and government employees. Yet, who pays for all of regulations? Who pays these employees’ salaries? Not government.
Many of the laws recently passed are well known to us. The Affordable Care Act or “Obamacare,” and laws regarding student loans are examples. These laws all have something in common. In order for them to work by giving citizens something, there must also be a taking from other citizens. Otherwise, how would government pay for them? This generally is a zero sum game. If one wants to put a certain something in their left hand, that person must first find and get that something from somewhere else. So, in order to supply the left hand, one must diminish another supply elsewhere.
Government cannot afford to lower student loan interest rates without funding that program. So how does government pay for it? One way would be to raise taxes. Herein lies the rub. When the government raises taxes, businesses necessarily see a reduction in their profitability. You might say “so what?” Well, where will these businesses then find the money to expand and increase employment? Many of them cannot. This is one of the main reasons America cannot increase employment in any meaningful way. In other words, there really is no such thing as a free lunch.
One who thinks as a conservative believes that it is better to leave individuals and businesses alone. Take away much of the redundant regulation and let America breathe.
Man is acquisitive. We all would like to acquire more for ourselves. In America, the better way to accomplish this goal is to leave the individual and the business alone. Lower taxes, get government out of the way and watch the investment in labor and manufacturing soar. Paul had it right. The best way for the government to help us is by leaving us alone. After all, there really isn’t such a thing as a free lunch.
