Dole credits private industry with growth, not government. This is the preferred stance we think. Not only because of the way it affects this particular issue, but also because it affects many other aspects of our society. We all have come to understand that a great many of us work for the government, or in government created, or related jobs. Many of us blindly and without a doubt, support that the government pursue a full employment goal, first and foremost. We look to government to create jobs and foment growth. And government humors us. Government does exactly that as much as possible, because government is made up of politicians who want to in obvious fashion please us. When Bill Clinton became president for instance, he created 200 positions for new accountants in his home state, Arkansas.

How many jobs has government created through the years mostly with that FE goal in mind? With little creativity, politician after politician has added new layers and new segments, just to employ many more. With little thought given to employees’ qualifications or goals, government has provided relief from unemployment. We personally know many employed by government who’s jobs are mostly “to push the hands of the clock”.

How many of these individuals would rather work for private industry? How many of these people would rather do something besides survive? How many of these people would rather actually make a contribution to society other than spending their modest wages? But it’s silly to expect these people to vociferously protest government employment. They went to work there because that’s the job they found.  And that’s how they meet expenses. What if more creative leaders added at least those two factors to the equation before creating new jobs?

Dole is a firm believer in private industry. This is a result not of callously supporting a laissez-faire orientation regarding the private sector, as her detractors would say. But rather it is a result of noting that organizations run better if they are private, instead of public. Any basic textbook on the subject will tell you that there are intrinsic factors in public and private organizations that cause this. For example, a basic truth, tells us that an organization’s first and most important goal is growth and self preservation. If you consider this when you assess the expected impact of a government agency’s intervention on a problem, you can easiliy understand that the problem may exist in perpetuity. Once the problem is gone, the agency will be gone also, and all its personnel unoccupied.

Dole’s comments regarding the economy, though made specifically about farms, were applicable to other sectors also. She proposed to do away with the inheritance tax. These measure would create many new jobs. Many heirs loose their businesses due to high inheritance taxes. Instead of growth and new jobs, the tax causes the job market to contract.  The actual revenue that the government collects from the tax is minimal, but the damage to the job market and economic growth is considerable. The Cato Institute touted this as one of Governor Pataki’s important goals for New York State. With the state inheritance tax New Yorkers pay two taxes. The practice drains the state of investment money, because as soon as people can, they invest the money elsewhere.

Economic measures regarding farms would also have an impact on the economy. Rural America comprises 2,305 counties, contains 83 percent of the Nation's land, and is home to 20 percent (55 million) of its people. I address this because any measures regarding farms are always dismissed by the rest of us. Yet programs that would make 20% of the population more prosperous are certainly noteworthy.

We liked Dole’s remarks regarding taxes, discussed in that section. Measures to lower taxation usually boost the economy. So, we could have looked for a period of greater cooperation between government and industry; a period during which some of these layers and segments created to fulfill the goal of FE would have been evaluated and perhaps changed; not necessarily a period of austerity as detractors claimed. No, perhaps a period of more solid growth, prosperity and better lifestyles for some.

In the State of North Carolina, where Mrs. Dole hails from, one can discern many differences, at this time, regarding the economy. I remember reading an item from infoseek, targeted e-mail news, about two years ago, regarding for instance a figure for highway maintenance expense. In North Carolina that annual expense is one of the lowest in the nation, though they have the second largest highway system in the nation. The average expense per state is $13000 per mile, per year. New Jersey with $99,900 and New York with $46,000 were the biggest spenders. North Carolina spends only $6,300 per mile, per year. ...And they have the wild flowers program along the sides of highways!!! At least New York State can offer the mess that New York City traffic is, as an excuse. But New Jersey’s expense is truly astounding.

If you stay in North Carolina a while, you notice all kinds of differences. A lot of them have to do with the way the state economies are organized. You note that people dress better. You note that Durham has a better Dean and Delucca type of store than even New York City. You note that the public library on main street has all the latest videos, dvds, and over 70 internet terminals.  You note many differences. It seems that people do more. People engage in any number of sports and outdoor activities, well equipped, locally. You’ll see that most cyclists wear cycling clothing and protective gear. You’ll see all kinds of things that people in other areas, as a group can no longer afford to buy.  All kinds of people who are just average people, do all kinds of things. In other areas of the country, people can only afford to watch TV, and visit friends. Everything is too expensive for the average person. When you look around In some of these North Carolina cities, you can’t help but think, that “everyman” lives much better here. One wonders if one is not better off without The Bal Harbour Shops (Where at season’s end, the goal is to get rid of it). It is true that the average store in NC subscribes to Bal Harbour sales prices. The 70% off sales price is no stranger to these parts. The prices are so good some times, that one buys things one may use.

But is it the Bal Harbour Shops that cause these financial problems? Or is it that the producers in the state have to support many who produce little? The difference between 99,000 and 6,200 has to come from somewhere. Where does that money go? How do these thousand of people immigrating to this country impact this equation? Is is true that each of these illiterate Mexican immigrants cause this country $55,200 after deducting their lifetime contributions in taxes?