Say no to cronyism
February 01. 2018 6:10PM
To the Editor: Why wouldn’t New Hampshire be a prime candidate for the new Amazon headquarters?
The term crony capitalism is a package deal of two conflicting ideas. Cronyism is the use of government toward some perceived benefit. Capitalism is the freedom of individuals or groups of individuals to engage in voluntary win-win transactions.
From billions in incentives, or even renaming the town Amazon, governments are doing everything they can to lure in Amazon. This should be defined as Crony Government. The politicians want to buy votes, and political clout. The businesses benefit through special tax breaks or waiving of punitive regulations. New Hampshire didn’t dangle a large enough carrot for Amazon, and it shouldn’t have.
Government has no right to be dangling these goodies in front of Amazon. All of these benefits come on the backs of the taxpayers who have their wealth taken and redistributed. Instead, government should stop stripping this wealth from the people.
New Hampshire’s proposal was a positive promotion of the values of New Hampshire. It correctly outlined New Hampshire’s low taxes, quality of life, pro-business, motivated workforce, and all the benefits of Boston without the downside. I applaud this approach to luring Amazon. While Amazon may have said no, many others will say yes. If we continue to reduce regulations, taxes, and the size and scope of government, we will continue to make New Hampshire a great place to live, work, and play. Leave the cronyism to the other states.
MATT REILLY
Concord
