Viewpoint: Put community first, politics second

While campaigning I had the privilege of meeting K.C. Pfluger. He is a small business owner whose establishment offers educational and physical services to children.

In fact, Rollie Pollies is a favorite of many local families.

As with other small business owners I’ve talked with, Mr. Pfluger states the importance of a healthy economy, preserving the free market and simplifying the tax burdens on employers.

I support this view. Tax increases need to halt. Crippling taxes used for pork projects need to end.

Tax codes need to be simplified. The government bureaucracy needs to be dismantled.

Regulations driven by special interest needs to stop. We need to put our community first, politics second.

Cutting taxes would be prudent in this recession. Cutting government spending would be prudent in this economy.

Private businesses and families don’t need government on their door steps.

Our private businesses provide vital services and products to our citizens.

They contribute profits to multiple nonprofit efforts like the PTA and Woodbury Life Care Center.

We can’t continue the government choke-hold on those who provide services, products and jobs to our community members.

The private sector functions best with less state intervention.

Dr. John Lott offers great advice in his book Freedomnomics warning that “the government’s inevitable tendency is to increase the scope of its authority.”

Whether it is through tax increases, establishing regulations that govern private business or imposing unfair antitrust laws and other legislation to correct market issues-the government’s ultimate goal is to control.

We need to help our private sector survive this current trend. Legislators need to let the market work.

Politicians need to listen to the needs of our business for they are the engine behind the community.

Let’s deregulate, cut taxes and tell our businesses to stay in Minnesota.

As Milton Friedman famously said, “Nobody spends somebody else’s money as carefully as he spends his own.”

Let business owners reinvest their profits in their services, products and community. We will all benefit in the long run if government is smaller and less intrusive.

I thank Mr. Pfluger and other business owners I’ve met for establishing businesses in this district.

I know how important businesses are to this community and as your legislator will help strengthen the private sector, not suppress it.

Bohlsen is a resident of Woodbury and Republican candidate for the Minnesota House District 56B seat in the Nov. 4 election. She can be reached at (651) 738-3211 or at leebohlsen@yahoo.com

Tags: opinion, bohlsen, viewpoint, pollies, pfluger, lott, tax, legislator