Where is Our Leadership? [That’s What’s Wrong with Being Right]

by Rob Belt

I am fifty one year old concerned husband and father of three. Two boys and one little girl. I have become more and more disappointed in not only our federal government but our state, local and county governments as well. Anyone that has owned and or operated a small business knows what I am talking about. There is no wonder we have so many empty commercial properties in Vanderburgh county. The tax base on commercial property is confiscatory. Most of the regulations in place are ridiculous and unnecessary.

I remember attending a local city council meeting and the council members in all their infinite wisdom were debating weather or not to pass a ordinance requiring any child under 18 to wear a state approved or D.O.T approved helmet if they were going to ride a bicycle. I remember thinking to myself, why didn't I come up with that idea?

With every young person under the age of 18 being forced to wear a helmet before they could ride their bike (this was going to be a ticketing offense on the second time a young person was caught riding there bike without a helmet) would cause one heck of an economic boom. A plant would have to be built to manufacture the helmets here in Vanderburgh county. Just think of the jobs it would create.

We were probably looking at employing six to seven people with the possibility of that going to ten or eleven once we were at full capacity. But unfortunately it did not happen. Some mean old conservative father of three (me) asked the councilman a question. Well if we are going to require a helmet for those under 18 why don't we require them to get completely geared up. I asked for knee and elbow pads along with training wheels. I then asked them all a question. How many of them wore a helmet when they were growing up before they rode their bike. I told them if we were to have done that back in our day we would have more than likely gotten beat up or at the bare minimum gotten made fun of and our bike taken by the neighborhood bully who did not wear a helmet.

This is what happens when politicians at all levels try to justify their existence or position in life by passing stupid feel good laws, ordinances or regulations. I believe most politicians do not understand a single thing about what it takes to run a successful business. The two are genetically opposed. Most political leaders feel that businesses are here to provide a tax base. A tax base that is too high. Many politicians spend more time at photo ops or raising money than they do trying to take care of the peoples business.

My goal in all of this is to spread common sense ideas and talk about what I am passionate about. And that would be conservative capitalistic ideas with less government intrusion work every time they are tried. And to debunk or spark a debate with those on the more liberal-socialistic-communistic view points. Wow say that three times really fast.