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Today we hear a lot about “inequality of incomes” but what we really have is an “inequality of effort” or “inequality of discipline”. I recently attended a concert where the pianist played the piano like few could ever hope to. This lady, I believe, is one of the greatest pianists I have ever seen or heard. I sarcastically made the comment to someone that what we have is “inequality of talent” and that we need a government solution to fix this injustice, because it is not right that some people have such talent while others (like me) cannot even play. I then went on to comment that the discussions that are going on today about “inequality of income” are no different than me trying to fix “inequality of talent” though legislation. You cannot legislate the “law of cause and effect” or the law of sowing and reaping. I know that most people understand that the pianist has spent countless hours practicing playing the piano while I have spent no time practicing or playing, so why should I ever expect to play the piano. Yet, so many people think that when it comes to income there should be a difference. The person who has worked between 10-16 hours a day for the past 20 years vs. the 'clocker' who just goes to work at 8 and clocks out at 5 and doesn't put in any more than what is required to keep his job. Does anyone believe these two people should be compensated equally? Unfortunately many do. As Thomas Jefferson said, “government that governs least governs best”. I was recently at a conference and all I heard people say was, “we don’t need any more government interference,” yet the politicians have not got the memo. People are fed up with the expansion of government into their lives and yet the politicians keep on adding to the burden with more government regulations. To me, Freedom means that we are free to govern ourselves. 42
This means that we are free to live our lives in pursuant of our dreams and interest that bring us happiness. Freedom means to me lassie-faire in the affairs of business. Government, get out of the way and keep your nose out of private business. Private business does not need government to tell them how to run their business. In fact, the government is the greatest hindrance or obstacle that most businesses face. Why should business have this burden of having to comply with rules and regulations written by those who have never done business -- telling those who have succeeded in business how to do it? How does this make sense that we have those who don't telling those who do how to do it? This is insanity and this is where we are at today. The cost of compliance for the average small company is in excess of 10k per year per employee. We no longer have freedom in business…we have soft tyranny. As a legislator, my goal is to make sure that we pass as few laws as possible to insure that we are free to live our lives in a manner that pleases each individual so that every person can pursue their dreams.
Harris County Democratic Party Chairman Lane Lewis Discusses Freedom and Why He's a Proud American with Aubrey AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What does freedom mean to you? HARRIS COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN