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Real Answers™
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Copyright: © 2010 Gary Hardaway
630 words

PLEASE, NO MORE "HELP!"

By:  Gary Hardaway

I believe it was Ronald Reagan who once said that the most dreaded words in the English language are, “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help you.” More recently, Charles Colson, commenting on the 2000 page “Health Care” bill passed by the House of Representatives, evoked a similar theme, by suggesting an “even more terrifying” prospect: “I’m the government’s health care choices commissioner. Let me see your insurance policy.” The bill called for the creation of 111 new government agencies. That’s an awful lot of “help” that a lot of people don’t seem to want. I know I don’t.

There seems to be craziness abroad in the land that has mesmerized politicians into thinking that everybody needs a tremendous amount of “help” in their daily lives. Such helpfulness boggles the mind and overwhelms the senses. To wit, a case in point.

Bellingham, Washington is a pleasant city, picturesque, overlooking a scenic bay, with islands in the distance to the west. Forty miles or so eastward, majestic, snow-capped Mount Baker rises to 10,000 plus feet, surrounded by other impressive peaks. Bellingham is known as a “progressive” city, solidly “left coast” in spirit and politics, bolstered by a state university with scant ideological diversity. The city council promotes a politically correct agenda, congenial to a constituency that favors “help,” though some might call it “social engineering.”

Some years ago the council decided that it didn’t want “big-box stores” to get any bigger, so it passed a 90,000 square foot limit on any business – retail, wholesale, manufacturing – any kind whatsoever. The council’s real targets were Wal-Mart and Costco, both of which do a bustling business. (The council doesn’t much like business in general, small boutiques excepted.) Customers, even some “progressive” ones, complained about the council’s obvious bias against the city’s two most successful retail enterprises. Lots of debate ensued.

Now the council, in its progressive wisdom, has come forth with its newest brainstorm, loaded with helpful regulations. In order for the big stores to exist they would have to

• Pay a certain percentage of employees a “livable wage” of at least $11.84 per hour, with benefits or $13.02 without benefits
• A certain percentage of items sold would have to come from Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho or British Columbia
• A certain number of employees would have to ride the bus or bike to work.

No doubt all this monitoring would require vast amounts of forms to fill out (in triplicate) and file with some government office, and store for some years in case the city decides to audit at a later date. And, what if the store slips up and doesn’t sell quite enough widgets from Idaho? Or what if a couple of employees sneak in to work in cars instead of riding their bikes? Heavy fines? Forced closure? Criminal charges against the responsible executives?

It seems that the mayor and the council are working too hard. Instead of a 90,000 square foot limit on business space, how about a five page (double-spaced) limit on legislative proposals? In fact, some kind of page limit would serve Congress as well. And maybe a rule that for every new bureau created, another must be immediately axed.

The basic principle of public service has a distinguished history in biblical language: “I have not come to be served, but to serve and give my life  . . .” A true public servant really does desire to help. The contemporary craze for government intrusion and intervention into every facet of economic and social life flips the principle of public service on its head. We’re being bound – and sometimes gagged – by relentless government operatives who are sure they know much better than we do what’s good for us. 

Sometimes the best help is to leave well enough alone.

Gary Hardaway, a regular contributor to the Amy Internet Syndicate, directs Summit School of Ministry in Bellingham, WA.

"Real Answers™" furnished courtesy of The Amy Foundation Internet Syndicate. To contact the author or The Amy Foundation, write or E-mail to: P. O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901-6091; amyfoundtn@aol.com

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