Sunday, April 5, 2009 | 2 a.m.
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Uh-oh. I think I am becoming a Libertarian!
Maybe it is the economic imperatives of the times we are living in, maybe it is the unending failure of government to act the way it talks, or maybe it is the system that empowers people to begrudge success and worship at the altar of failure — of others. Whatever the reason, I think I am succumbing to the siren song of selfishness.
And that would make me, by today’s political standards, a Libertarian.
Two recent examples have worked their way into my mind to the extent that I cannot get past them without changing my view of government, democracy and the way this whole American dream thing is supposed to work.
The first, and most egregious, is a story I heard the other day from a woman I have known for over a decade. She is a first-generation citizen, having come from Mexico in search of work many years ago, and having worked — very hard — to find a place in this society for her and her family. She has three children, two just coming of age and coming to the firm conclusion that a college education is a must and a given. One college graduate would be a first for the family; two would be a cause for celebration.
To make sure college is available, their family house — their only asset — must be secure and available for the kind of loans required to help pay for that education.
That’s why Mom went to the bank, you know, face to face, the way people are supposed to deal with one another, and asked what she had to do to recast her mortgage. In these turbulent times, her home has not been spared, and her mortgage is now more than the value of her home. But not that much more.
She simply wanted to stretch out the term of the mortgage and lower the interest rate to be reflective of today’s lower rates, which would reduce the payments and allow her and the economy some breathing room in which they could both recover. The bank, which received billions of dollars of your, her and my tax dollars, said: “No.”
Because her home is underwater, as are almost 60 percent of the homes in Las Vegas, the bank wanted nothing to do with “her problem.” How stupid. Don’t they realize that her problem will soon become their problem as one more house to be listed as a “foreclosed asset?”
The bank — as if pointing a finger at someone else to solve its problem — sent her to the federal government program recently designed just for a situation like this. So, off she went to seek the kind of help that government promised, Congress delivered and the president signed into law a few weeks ago. Of course, you know what happened at that meeting. The program designed to help people stay in their homes during this most unusual and difficult time was not only not designed to help her but, in fact, is all part of a big effort to turn law-abiding, ethical and honest Americans into thieves!
My friend was told that the billions of dollars available to help struggling homeowners recast their mortgages so they can stay in those homes was not designed for her. Why? Because she was doing what every good and decent person strives to do. She was paying her mortgage — even though it meant going without other needs for her and her kids — and she was paying on time, each and every month.
“Sorry,” was the answer to her question. “The government’s program is not available for people who are current on their payments.” So, she asked, incredulously: “If I stop making my payments — in violation of my promise to do so — can the government help me then?”
“Yes, of course.”
And, there you have it. Government encouraging people not to pay their debts. And we wonder why we are in trouble?
As if that weren’t bad enough, a game of chicken is being played out in the Nevada Legislature — by that, I mean not the game in which people threaten each other with destruction just to see who blinks first but, rather, the game in which everyone up there is, well, a chicken.
Everyone says we need billions of dollars in new revenue or reduced expenses, but the only thing we hear or see from those folks in Carson City is, well, we don’t hear or see very much at all. And we are running out of time.
Regardless of how much people will scream — and I suspect I should be among the group who will be asked to pay the greatest share — the fact remains that this state is in trouble and needs to act now. We must have new revenue sources. They must be fair, progressive and modest. We tried that in 2003, but someone helped kill the kind of taxes that would have carried us through these difficult times and, instead, encouraged taxes on small-business people, exactly the wrong folks on whose shoulders to place the burdens of this state.
What was that fellow’s name? You folks should know, you recently elected him governor. And he is doing his best, again, to destroy this wonderful state and all its potential.
Of course, cuts do have to be made. I would argue against the devastation of our higher- and lower-education systems, that idea never did sound like a good one. But I do have a plan for some slashing of our state budget. These cuts would go almost unnoticed.
Libertarians believe in modest government at best. So the first thing I would do is get rid of everybody in the executive branch. That means we start with the governor — you know, the fellow Jon Ralston says is The Man Formerly Known as Governor — because he is absolutely worthless. His idea of good governance is gutting education to the point that we would no longer be 50th out of 50 states in the quality of what we provide to our young people. We would become a distant 51st! And because everyone else in the executive branch listens to what he tells them, get rid of them too.
Next, we should turn to the Legislature. We sent them up there this year to do something to help this state and the millions of people who expect government to work for, not against, them. If the best these folks can do is hide behind some secret process in the hopes that some magic might occur, get rid of them, too, because they ain’t helping.
We are running out of time. We know that the devastated tourism industry is no longer able to carry the load. We and the economy finally broke that golden goose’s egg-making ability. We also know that we are somewhere between one and two billion dollars upside down and that these folks up there are diddling around the margins of the problem.
I think if we closed down both the executive and the legislative branches, we could be well on our way toward the billions we need to educate our kids.
And that, unfortunately, is where I have to leave my Libertarian friends. You see, I believe in public education, good roads, proper health care and a quality of life that make Nevada a desirable place to live. Most Libertarians don’t believe that is a necessary component of government responsibility.
So, I guess I can only become a Libertarian to the following extent: Get rid of this governor and this Legislature and this state will immediately be better off.
Then we should go out and find people who do believe that this state is worth the effort — and elect them to lead.
