Less Government, More Personal Responsibility

By  //  May 21, 2012

Could a “Jobless Recovery” Actually Save America? 

I know, this is a strange perspective, but it is rooted in conversations from the past.

I don’t remember the exact time frame, but it was late 1980’s or early 1990’s. There had been layoffs at KSC and one lady who had been laid off started her own business next door to mine.  She believed government was a solution; I believed it was a problem.

What brings this up now is that she changed her view of government, rather dramatically, almost overnight.

The cause: she had to write her first check for self-employment taxes.

She had previously always received a “refund” from the IRS, but really didn’t focus on the details of her paycheck and think about what the total government tax burden on her personally actually cost.

From many conversations that I’ve had with others, it is evident that she was not alone in her perception that “I don’t pay taxes, I get a refund.”

It wasn’t until she had to actually write a check out of her own account that she made the connection between her income and the cost of government.

President Ronald Reagan

Whether its 6 million or 20 million Americans who have had to become self-employed to earn a living, and are now seeing 35 – 50% of their income going in taxes, the fact is that millions of Americans are suddenly getting a real understanding of just how much of their income goes in taxes for someone else to spend, and to pay someone else’s bills.

A recent Rasmussen Poll Report found almost 2 out of 3 people surveyed now want lower taxes and less government.

It certainly appears that many more Americans are beginning to realize Ronald Reagan was right when he said, “The 10 most frightening words in the English language are:  I’m from the government and I’m here to help you,” and helping ourselves personally is a more reliable and gratifying path to security.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ilene Davis, a resident of Brevard County since 1971, is a Certified Financial Planner with a bachelors degree in Mathematics from the University of Michigan, a bachelors degree in Accounting from Rollins College, and a Masters in Business Administration from Webster University.  Ms. Davis became a stockbroker in 1982, earned her designation as a Certified Financial Planner in 1984, and with a desire to serve clients more on her own terms, opened her own financial consultant office in Cocoa Village in 1986.   She is committed to helping each client create their own “Financial Freedom Fund,” and believes strongly in free market capitalism and a “hand up rather than a hand-out” as the best path to prosperity.