Government has a number of legitimate purposes. For example, it is vital that our federal government defend the American people against foreign threats. Local, state and federal government also provide law enforcement services which help to prevent anarchy, maintain social peace and “ensure domestic tranquility”. These are examples of “public goods” which cannot be as effectively provided through the free market as they can be through government.

Government is responsible to provide a court system–both for criminal justice and civil disputes. And, legislatures make laws on both a state and federal level.

It is through these government roles that individual property rights are defined and enforced, protections for consumers are defined and enforced, contracts are enforced and laws and rules which protect the health and safety of individuals are made and enforced.

It is not the role of government to be the economic engine of the country. Rather, individuals and businesses power the economy and are responsible for growth and innovation.

One of the lessons that history has taught again and again is that free markets are much more effective and efficient at producing wealth and prosperity than are government-run economies.

Accordingly, it is important to resist the urge to look to government for more and more services and handouts. One of the great blessings in this journey called “life” that we Americans are all participants in is that we have freedom to act and to contribute and to produce–and we get to reap what we sow. There is undoubtedly a temptation to trade our economic freedom and independence for a government that provides more and more services and handouts. Government has never matched and will never match the innovation and motivation and economic growth results which American people, individually and through private-sector businesses, are able to achieve.

Economic prosperity which has resulted from free markets has worked miracles in this country’s and the world’s standard of living. While always striving to include more and more people in the increases in prosperity, we must not lose the miraculous good that comes from freedom and private enterprise by looking to government to do what it can not do as effectively nor as efficiently as individuals and businesses who have freedom and market-based incentives motivating them.

My commitment as a member of the Idaho Legislature is that I will turn to the free-market for economic growth and prosperity and innovation and improvements in life, except in those unique areas (such as national defense, social peace, the court system, the legislative processes, etc.) where the free market can not provide the service or good in question.

I am a firm believer that (almost) anything that the government can do the private sector of the American economy can do better, faster and more efficiently.