Let Them Eat Cake

Yesterday Representative Diana Maldonado and Progressive Capitol held an event entitled, "Do you know your current State Representative?" Women were invited to meet Maldonado and "other smart women" for coffee, cupcakes and conversation at a Georgetown cupcake business. Unfortunately for the smart women in attendance, Representative Maldonado has little to offer in the way of solutions to pressing issues, especially for the cupcake shop.

One of the incredible ironies of the event was its location, a small business in Georgetown. No friend to private business, Representative Maldonado received a dismal 36% rating from the Texas Association of Business based on her 2009 legislative performance, with only 11 other legislators earning a lower score. One wonders if the cupcake shop owners are aware of Representative Maldonado's hostility to business and her votes to further burden them with taxes and mandates. Furthermore, as a member of the Progressive States Network Representative Maldonado signed a 2009 letter addressed to President Obama, Senator Reid and Congresswoman Pelosi, urging them to pass government-run health care legislation. As analysts study the implications of the 2010 health care reform bill, they are finding it will burden small businesses with penalties, taxes, and paperwork, and will severely reduce productivity and job creation. Thank you, Representative Maldonado.

With soaring unemployment and an economic recession, government should not be seeking to stifle innovation and expansion, but should allow small businesses like the cupcake shop to operate unemcumbered by excessive regulation and taxes. Without the jobs and opportunities created by businesses of all sizes, more and more Americans will find themselves unemployed and dependent on a government that continues to expand and control at an alarming rate. But perhaps the cupcake shop will get a sweet government contract to provide fair allotments of cake to all the newly-created dependents. After all, we'll have to eat something...