Doesn’t the State Legislature Have Anything Better to Work On? | July 2024
Doesn’t the State Legislature Have Anything Better to Work On? | July 2024
July is the month of celebration, and we all take time out of our busy schedules to celebrate July 4th. For many, this is just another Federal holiday in which we get time off work, have picnics, and enjoy entertainment in the form of concerts and fireworks. Do all American citizens and those wishing to become US citizens really know what July 4th represents?
On July 4th, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America, known as our Declaration of Independence, freeing us from the King of Great Britain and his tyranny over the 13 States. This would be the precursor to the Constitution of the United States and the amendments that would follow over the next 248 years.
You may ask, “Why the history lesson?” The older I get, the more I realize we have lost focus on where we started and worry more on how we can tear it apart. History is, for some, viewed as the past and, therefore, not important. Our leaders in all three branches of Government have forgotten the basic tenets of our Constitution and have decided to rewrite it to suit their agenda. This is not what our founding fathers envisioned.
We are not supposed to be ruled by a King or Dictator. Under each new Administration, the power of the pen becomes even more toxic. The ability to write and impose executive orders when you disagree with Congress differs from how the Government was envisioned. This Administration is hell-bent on putting you out of business. As a construction industry, we are continually under attack by executive orders. The following are just a few examples:
• Mandated PLAs (project labor agreements) of Federal projects and imposition of them on private developers that want to use Inflation Reduction Act tax credits.
• Expansion of Davis Bacon rules.
• Onerous OSHA walk-around rules.
• Creating an NLRB that rolls back regulations for
70 years.
These are just the tip of the iceberg that is put in place to sink you. While we see our freedoms being taken away, we still have a major one in our pockets—the freedom to vote. Unfortunately, many people don’t take advantage of that freedom and leave it up to a minority of the citizens to make the decisions for the majority. I remember my sixth-grade English teacher, an army vet who made us memorize everything from the Declaration of Independence to the Gettysburg Address, stating, “It is not just a right to vote but your duty as a citizen of this country to vote.”
If we continue to forgo this freedom, we may not be able to celebrate Independence Day in the future. While employers cannot tell employees how to vote, you can share the issues and encourage your employees to exercise their freedom. Your business and our country depend on it. You need to get into politics or risk losing your business. Happy Independence Day!