The following op-ed was written by Gerard Gibert and originally published in the Clarion Ledger.
When I started Venture Technologies 32 years ago, I had a vision for helping organizations solve problems and achieve excellence by leveraging the power of information technology. Though Venture recently merged with another firm, that mission continues to be executed across this nation by hundreds of colleagues who deliver the company’s value proposition daily.
The success of Venture was not due to the benevolence of a bureaucrat in Washington, nor an elected politician, but rather the result of sweat equity, sleepless nights and sacrifices. I willingly shouldered the entrepreneur’s burden because I knew there was a need in the marketplace that my vision could meet. My instincts were right.
This isn’t just my story; it’s the story of almost every entrepreneur in America.
And yet, today we’re hearing more and more politicians paint capitalism as evil and business executives as greedy. We’re seeing presidential hopefuls proposing a new tax on the wealthiest Americans, and a “Green New Deal” that is no deal but needs a lot of greenbacks to pay for it.
Many Republicans in Washington are hardly different from their Democrat counterparts in this vein — they have completely failed the American people by failing to cut irresponsible spending and eliminate government waste, fraud and abuse. Last November, then-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said as he was leaving office, “One of my biggest regrets is the ballooning federal deficit.”
He was right to regret this. The federal debt balloon expanded even more this year, hitting a whopping $22 trillion. That puts the nation’s debt at 80 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, which is the highest level of debt since World War II. This does not even include unfunded liabilities, which former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, estimates at upwards of $140 trillion.
As a businessman, I am gravely concerned about this. Quarter after quarter, my company works diligently to pay our employees, pay bills, and reinvest in people and technology. In other words, we act fiscally responsible, knowing that there are no deep-pockets or federal bailouts coming our way if we act recklessly. Besides--having a sound fiscal policy in business sends a message to employees, investors and customers that you are solid, reliable and ready for the future. Does that sound like the federal government?
I wish we could expect Congress to change its ways, but that would be completely unrealistic. The insulated beltway bubble is a place where corruption is lauded, greed is applauded and one never has to really accomplish anything to keep his or her job. This is far from the real world where the rest of us live and work. Congress will never listen. It won’t even slow down its wasteful spending long enough to let America’s economic engines catch up.
These fixes are going to be up to us — the American people.
President Trump campaigned on a slogan, “Drain the swamp,” but I believe that even he did not fully understand the depth, breadth and murkiness of the beltway waters. As he continues to struggle to make an impact, many of his opponents are openly embracing socialism, illuminating the possibility of a political backlash so extreme that it could permanently change the very character of our nation.
This is the reason I support a concerted, structured effort to put the brakes on Washington. Fortunately, Article V in the Constitution provides such a mechanism, in allowing the states to call a convention to propose amendments when Congress won’t make the needed structural reforms itself.
Right now, right here in Mississippi, our state legislators have an opportunity — through Senate Concurrent Resolution 596 — to join the calls of 14 other states for a convention to propose amendments imposing fiscal restraints, limiting the scope and power of the federal government, and maybe even limiting the terms of office for federal officials like judges and bureaucrats.
I encourage Mississippians to join me in this effort. Now more than ever, our nation needs to reverse the march towards big government socialism. Our government needs to stay in its swim lane. True economic freedom is the key to prosperity. And we will never have true economic freedom until we put meaningful limits on a federal government that is spending us into crisis while it regulates us into submission.
We have the tools to save our Republic, and it’s time for our Mississippi Legislature to use them. Join me at ConventionofStates.com.
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