“GOVERNMENT HAS BECOME so vast and impersonal,” the presidential challenger asserted, “that its interests diverge more and more from the interests of ordinary citizens. For a generation and more, the government has sought to meet our needs by multiplying its bureaucracy. Washington has taken too much in taxes from Main Street, and Main Street has received too little in return. It is not necessary to centralize power in order to solve our problems.”
I’m for protecting the health and well-being of both workers and consumers. I’m for a clean environment and economic justice. But I’m convinced we can pursue those worthy goals and still cut down vastly on the incredible paperwork, the complicated tax forms, the number of minute regulations, and the seemingly endless reporting requirements that afflict American business. Many businesses, especially small independents such as the Stratford Inn, simply can’t pass such costs on to their customers and remain competitive or profitable.
– George McGovern, US Senator (D-SD) and Presidential candidate (D- 1972)
Kudos to Senator McGovern for learning in 2.5 years as a failed hotelier that he did not learn in decades of public service. And admitting to it.
