DEBARY -- When there is an ailment that affects one part of the body the whole body is affected. I remember when I popped the posterior cruciate ligament in my knee while playing pick-up basketball, I could not push off with that leg anymore, and as a result, I stopped playing basketball because I was not longer as productive as when I had the full use of both of my legs. It is the same with excessive government spending.
As a result of not playing basketball the rest of the muscles in my body became soft and my other leg and back had to compensate for the restricted use of that leg and then the disappointment set in regarding what my body was becoming due to the lack of exercise.
The reason I went through this in this guest column is to illustrate the current state of the economic woes in Volusia County which can be solved by three things "jobs, jobs, jobs." Before I begin this point I would like to ask those of you who are old enough do your children or grandchildren work in Volusia County? If the answer is no, why is that?
Could it be that we do not have enough well paying jobs for working people to raise a family? The best entitlement program ever created is a job and it does not require any government involvement to get one. As a matter of fact the more government gets out of the way the more freedom business owners have to expand their businesses and create more jobs.
For example, a business owner gets no return out of government red tape or taxes these are expenses that take away from the bottom line of a business owner. These expenses do not only take away from the bottom line of a business owner but they also take away new jobs or increased salaries.
For every dollar a business owner spends on taxes, fees and red tape that is one less dollar they have to pay a salary. The reason a business owner would prefer to pay wages to an employee vs. taxes/fees is because they get a return on the product or service that the employee’s effort s provide for the business.
This increased revenue stream allows the business owner to either spend the money personally or expand the business both of which are good for the local economy.
If the business owner spends the money personally he grows other businesses in the area by purchasing goods and services from other businesses allowing those businesses to make the same decisions other business owners are doing which in turn grows our economy exponentially and increases the demand for more jobs.
When our citizens have jobs they are able buy goods and services to increases the standard of living for their family and grow the local economy through consumption. This also keeps that family off of government assistance programs which reduces the tax burden on both the citizens of the community and the business owner which is the person who started this whole process in the first place.
Volusia County needs to ease the burden on business so the entities that create jobs can grow the economy and attract new business and industry to the area and bring new jobs.