Here’s wishing everyone a prosperous New Year. That’s not a trite phrase; it’s the foundation for our dynamic culture, a clean environment, and more.
What would you do if you had more money? You might be able to take your family on a vacation. Spend more time with your children. Maybe you would be able to help your elderly parents or a person in need of a little extra help. You could put aside more for your retirement. Whatever you would do, it would be your choice. The freedom to choose how we live as individuals leads us to be wealthier as a society.
Wealthier nations are able to better care for the environment. The standard of living conditions are higher for all, and the opportunities for all to prosper are there. Businesses, unencumbered by unnecessary regulation, are able to employ more people. Even nations that have traditionally been controlled by repressive governments, such as China, are realizing that freedom of choice is the key to prosperity.
The recognition of our natural rights and liberties, coupled with limited government is required before we can hope to be prosperous. Let’s not take our prosperity, and the liberties that allowed it, for granted. Have a happy and prosperous New Year.
© 2006, Cascade Policy Institute. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided the author and Cascade Policy Institute are cited. Contact Cascade at (503) 242-0900 to arrange print or broadcast interviews on this topic. For more topics visit the QuickPoint! archive.
