Sunday, August 16, 2009

Individuals and the State

The most amazing aspect of the Obama Presidency to me, is the regression from the indviduality that was just beginning to boom. By this, I mean that Obama seems to be intent on returning us to a collective relationship just when individual entrepreneurship was just taking off.
Under Obama, we are being grouped into ever larger collectives, identified by our perceived needs, at least as viewed from Washington. Need a job? You need to go work for Government Motors. Need health care? It's impossible for you to get it on your own, and you need some sort of interference by a bureaucrat to see a doctor. Want to express your opinion? Only those approved opinions are going to be allowed. Check with your SEIU thugs, or your local ACORN community organizer to determine what your opinion will be.
But just a year ago, I was marveling at the ability of individuals to exploit niches in the economy and develop their own businesses. A young stud who left the Public Defender's Office where I work, opened his own practice recently. He has the capability to take credit card payments over his computer, something I could not do when I opened my practice. What this means is that he has the ability to provide for fee services to more people than I could, and still make a living.
We have a lawn service that is run out of the guy's house who advertises on the Internet. He does a good job and can even accept payment over the Internet. Other people locally are selling all over the world through the Internet. What is going to happen to them when we get Obamacare?
Without employer paid health insurance, they will still have a mandate to pay an additional 8% on top of the income tax, self employed tax, FICA and the other taxes that are required by government fiat. This will reduce the possibility of a startup business from making it through the first three years which is the usual measure of whether or not a business will be successful.
As a result, more people will be constrained from beginning businesses that will make my life easier and better. They are going to be kept from exercising their innovation and the country as a whole will suffer from this lack of development.
Less small businesses, more government control, and Obama says that he doesn't want to return to the "failed policies of the past." I guess he wants to try out the failed policies of East Germany, just to make sure that it doesn't work.

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