For the heck of it I recently surveyed a bunch of successful business people and asked them several questions.
The first was: What do you think caused the most recent business crash in this country and around the world? Most answers were interesting and almost identical. Government deregulation led to the downfall. It was explained and obvious that the definition of deregulation is laws. Imagine your small, quiet, safe town eliminating all laws. What would happen? Im sure you would move very quickly.
Ronald Reagan was the first to deregulate. There used to be a Monopoly Law. Example: One person could only own seven radio stations and was also limited to how many TV stations and newspapers. Why? Obvious. A rich and power hungry group could buy all and be able to control what people listened to and watched. That would be quite dangerous in any society.
Today, many forget the past and laud Reagan because of the wonderful business climate in the eighties. If you owned a peanut stand you made more money than you could spend. We all too easily forget that Reagan slept through office that led to a horrible 3 year recession. 89. 90, 91. Why did Reagan change the law? Why did the senate and reps who are elected by us to protect and represent us, go along? I give up and so do all the knowledgeable people that I surveyed.
Why did Clinton and Bush so easily allow so many deregulations that led to horrible temptation by smart and dumb (uninformed, gullible) people? None of my interviewees knew the answer, or would even guess. One answer was common, however. The most important part of the Lords Prayer that used to be recited every morning in every school room and now outlawed is "Lead me not into temptation." Remember that line? Okay. Do the math. How long ago was that harmless prayer thrown away? When did the deregulations start? Is it really politically correct to eliminate everything that refers to our Creator, and at the same time throw out all the laws that keep many from too much temptation? You be the judge.
Roland Hopkins is the founder of the New York Real Estate Journal, Norwell, Mass.
