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Show WHATJ IN IT FORYOU ( , HIGH PRICE OF NOTHING Edmund Burke, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph tri-umph is for enough good men to do nothing." Mr. Radaker is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Congoleum Corporation. By Byron C. Radaker The concepts of personal freedom on which this country is based go- back further than the American Revolution. The uniqueness of our "grand experiment" was that for the first time these freedoms, both economic eco-nomic and political, were extended to an entire nation. During our first 150 years, the course of the nation , seemed to be 'iW guided by the 1 It concept "That j government is l jr best which JjtV governs least." C2r Ui Millions of Radaker immigrants landed on our shores with fresh memories of the economic, eco-nomic, political, social and religious restrictions they had left behind. Since the turn of the century, most Americans are two or more generations removed from their immigrant immi-grant forefathers. The Depression De-pression and two World Wars shocked them, leading to a change in the "governs least" philosophy. Americans Ameri-cans turned more-and-more to government to solve their problems. Government's answer has been increased regulation and more money to support such programs. Today, regulations beget more regulations. Our motto mot-to seems to be "That government gov-ernment is best which regulates regu-lates most." Our government has found that the most effective effec-tive way to control a person is not by the ballot or the bullet, but rather by the "buck". Today, in a country coun-try that fought a revolution to rid itself of a repressive government and excessive taxes, government on all levels takes 40 percent of everything we earn in the form of taxes. In America, where every day we use dollars to "vote" on how we want things run, our economic and political freedoms are inseparably linked. A loss in one area means a corresponding loss in the other. So we have in reality, lost 40 percent of our political freedom. The growth in government is due to their increased participation in the area of regulation. During the past 15 years more than 250 federal agencies, departments, depart-ments, bureaus and commissions commis-sions have been created while only 15 have been eliminated. Three movements have emerged with separate solutions solu-tions to the problem. 1. Don't give government the money it wants. A variation varia-tion on this theme is Proposition Propo-sition 13. 2. Don't allow government govern-ment to spend more than they take in. 3. Stop "regulation for the sake of regulation. " Each of these actions has as its goal the return of certain economic freedoms. The success of these and similar actions in the future will go a long way toward the restoration of economic and political freedoms. The most effective deterrent deter-rent to the potential loss of personal freedoms is an informed in-formed public. The alternative alter-native was put forth by |