Most legislation considered by the Arkansas General Assembly has an impact on your economic freedom. Your economic freedom is not just affected by legislation that raises your taxes or throws millions of your tax dollars at a problem. It is also affected by the cost of administering every law passed.
In evaluating legislation, start with Conduit’s Economic Freedom Filter which asks these four questions. Does the legislation:
- Increase or decrease the size and scope of government?
- Increase or decrease dependency on government?
- Spend money we do not have?
- Increase or decrease transparency in government?
Additionally, consider how the legislation promotes or hinders these two principles in the Platform of the Republican Party of Arkansas:
- Individual freedom and liberty secured by a limited government
- Lower taxes to produce economic growth
Other questions to consider are:
- Does the legislation offset spending by eliminating less important or wasteful programs?
- Will the cost of the legislation be offset by saving spending that would occur without the legislation?
- Finally, are you really sure you are willing to lose economic freedom in order to fund new legislation?
