The John Locke Foundation has come out with one of the finer presentations I’ve seen in a long time. I find it difficult to engage people in a conversation about how to rein in out-of-control government. In recent conversations with people way more intelligent than I’ll ever be, one wanted government to print more money, and another wanted to eliminate cabinet posts at the state and federal levels.

Most people in government aren’t interested in reading. If they were, they’d read bills. Fern Shubert is the only one I know who forewent wining and dining with lobbyists to hole herself up in her motel room and study the things.

The amazing solution, found by the JLF, is a tri-fold pamphlet providing a paragraph on each of eleven constructive and reasonable things members of the think tank would like the General Assembly to accomplish in “The First 100 Days.” I recommend reading it, as it will likely give you reason to cheer. Then, you can come back for my comments if you like.

Paraphrasing and elaboration follow:

  • Forsake corporate welfare. Collecting taxes to redistribute sums to favorite sons serves as a perverse incentive for economic growth. It takes money out of the economy and bestows it on organizations that presume they need not produce, but need only kiss up to turn a profit.
  • Repeal renewable energy and efficiency standards. A greener planet is a good thing, but making the body charged with protecting liberties the enforcer of green policies is just plain weird. Any regulation values obedience more than wisdom, and Senate Bill 3 paints people into a corner with questionable environmental benefits in return.
  • End the North Carolina Education Lottery. Lotteries are often viewed as a tax on those who don’t pay taxes because they are too poor. Therefore, they take advantage of the downtrodden, and this is certainly an improper role of government. The NC lottery has historically had nothing to do with education.
  • Outlaw forced annexation. Forced annexation bestows on government a “right” of peaceful conquest. Most states have evolved enough to let individuals have a say in who will govern them.
  • End eminent domain abuse. Following Kelo, some states amended their constitutions to, in spite of the Supreme Court’s ruling, prevent government from condemning property to bestow it on private, for-profit interests. North Carolina was not one of them.
  • Outlaw candidate welfare. “Public financing of elections” forces taxpayers to fund campaigns of candidates with whom they may have serious moral disagreements. Government should protect the free exercise of conscience and never assume the role of breacher.
  • Make the legislative process more transparent. The JLF wants all budget bills to be posted online 72 hours before the first vote, and it wants them to forecast their impact over the next five years. The latter requirement would probably be an exercise in preposterous fiction. The JLF also wants the state to start saving until its reserve account is at least 10% of the general fund.
  • Post expenditures online.
  • Resist the nationalization of healthcare. It used to be hip to say, “Keep your laws off my body.” It has also been said healthcare is the last liberty to be lost in a free society. To prevent the intrusion of ever-expanding federal powers into the most private of personal decisions, the JLF recommends drawing the line of defense. It wants to see legislation passed guaranteeing Freedom of Choice in Health Care, and action taken to prevent the state from complying with and/or funding federal healthcare mandates.
  • Lift the cap on the number of charter schools.
  • Make it easier for teachers to be certified. I think the JLF knows I’m too dumb to pass a teacher certification test but realizes if I go back to teaching, I would be a government employee and no longer able to express my uninformed political opinions.