Will Grigg's Liberty Minute

July 29, 2011

When the economy takes a nose-dive, households tighten their belts. Governments, on the other hand, tighten nooses.

Household budgets confront dramatic increases in the cost of non-discretionary items ? food, energy, and housing. All government spending, on the other hand, is purely discretionary: There quite literally is nothing government does that could honestly be described as indispensable. Yet rather than biting the proverbial bullet and spending less ? as households are forced to do ? governments are increasingly relying on revenue extracted at gunpoint.

?As states and municipalities continue to grapple with the recession's fallout ? [they?re] turning to more modest, narrowly crafted increases in fees and fines -- nickel-and-diming their way to a balanced budget,? reports the AP. This can mean doubling common fees, radically increasing fines, and expanding the number and kinds of activities that can be turned into potentially lucrative violations.

At a time when households are forced to do more with less, why can?t local governments do the same? There are countless ways to answer that question, but they can all be easily digested into this simple proposition: County governments have constituencies to feed, and they have Sheriff's Departments to command.

Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.