The Cullman Times
CULLMAN —
The emergence of Zero RPM in Cullman County last week is an example of how government can play a beneficial role in economic development.
The new company has vast potential with its invention that will save energy for law enforcement car, ambulances and other vehicles that are used in large quantities and left idling. The presence of state-funded Wallace State Community College as the incubator site for Zero RPM is a key reason that the company has a jumpstart in the business world.
Some people, in this age of anti-government rants and libertarian blow-offs, take exception with every move that government makes.
“How dare they spend our tax dollars to provide this or that. We don’t need government in our business.”
Is that right?
Government is simply an extension of people. Taxes are paid so that we can help our state, our community and our neighbors. From unemployment compensation to assisting job-producing industries, government is one important way that we take care of our business.
The issue of dwindling revenues among states and cities has some root in overspending and mismanagement. Most people agree that government has become large. But a downturn in the economy has also reduced the coffers quite heavily.
Voters can force government to become smaller, more efficient entities. But what anyone who votes must also consider is that the public, generally, has been responsible for wanting more services at the government level. The new, lean approach should be to preserve what government can do well for the greater good of the nation and the states. We need business incubators at community colleges so that new investments can occur in our cities. We need unemployment assistance. We need food and shelter for helpless, blameless children. And everyone wants a strong national defense. Right?
Casting out duplication and layers of bureaucrats would be a great start to trimming government’s size. To compliment that effort, each state needs a healthier number of private-sector industries and businesses employing people. Government, as witnessed in Cullman County, can actually be a partner in making that happen.
