Limited government is a core American value that has empowered individuals to prosper across the nation. The framers of the Constitution understood government as a necessary evil: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary,” wrote James Madison. He went on to say, “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next instance oblige it to control itself.”
Our nation’s founders acknowledged the need for a central mechanism to keep order, administer essential services, and preserve the integrity of the free market. However, when government grows beyond what its boundaries ought to be, it can become costly and infringe upon the rights and well-being of its people. Such is the case in Louisiana, where government remains big and in need of further self-control. Despite good progress in reducing the state’s income taxes and doing away with burdensome taxes on business, it boasts the nation’s highest combined state and local sales tax rate and continues a tangle of unnecessary regulations that stifle innovation and punish honest workers.
As government grows, so too must spending in order to maintain itself. Furthermore, transparency becomes more difficult to achieve with so many layers of government, and the public becomes less empowered to overcome challenges that arise without state or federal intervention. The remedy is clear: Louisiana must rein in state spending so that it aligns with what taxpayers can afford—and to prevent regulations that erode personal freedom and initiative.
