While googling for background research tonight, I ran across an on-line voter’s guide from the 2004 election and realized that the phrase common sense is horribly overused. The number of candidates statewide citing common sense covered a broad political spectrum, and I don’t think all of them were sensible. Some were mutually exclusive. Here’s my short definition of common sense – less is more.
Less regulation is more freedom and individual responsibility. Less layers of bureaucracy are more productive and efficient. Less taxes is more profit and more jobs. Government was never meant to do everything for us, it is tool for us to do together those things we cannot do for ourselves. We cannot individually build a network of roads and bridges. We are more effective working together (as locally as possible) to organize basic services like water, sewer, fire and police. We have a duty through our state constitution to provide for and support the education of children. Every step we take beyond the basic priorities of government is more expensive, more convoluted and more intrusive than it needs to be. That’s common sense.
Less regulation is more freedom and individual responsibility. Less layers of bureaucracy are more productive and efficient. Less taxes is more profit and more jobs. Government was never meant to do everything for us, it is tool for us to do together those things we cannot do for ourselves. We cannot individually build a network of roads and bridges. We are more effective working together (as locally as possible) to organize basic services like water, sewer, fire and police. We have a duty through our state constitution to provide for and support the education of children. Every step we take beyond the basic priorities of government is more expensive, more convoluted and more intrusive than it needs to be. That’s common sense.
