Hettler: Government overreach causing inflation, other issues

Some members of Congress are encouraging the Biden-Harris administration to use its executive authority to take robust action to lower food prices for families. They claim that corporations have been “raking in record profits, while families are being hit with higher costs for groceries.”

They don’t seem to realize that the government’s own overreach in printing money and its out-of-control spending is what is causing inflation and making Americans’ money unable to purchase as much in groceries.

In a similar effort to control the free market, the Delaware Senate approved a bill to create a hospital cost review board to ensure that the state’s hospitals align their pricing with spending benchmarks set by Delaware.

Once again, our leaders do not seem to realize that the reason medical costs are so high in Delaware is because of the certificate of public review, which requires new medical facilities be approved before they can be formed. This limits the healthy competition needed to reduce health costs.

Now, the Delaware legislature, instead of removing the review board, is planning to add another level of government.

Legislators at both the federal and state level try to control the economy, markets and prices. They create one problem with their overreach and then realize it is not working, so they overreach again rather than discontinuing the original bad policy.

The U.S. Constitution clearly articulates the responsibilities of the federal government. All other responsibilities and powers belong to the states. That is a fundamental aspect of being a republic. Returning these powers back to the states is one of the main goals of the Convention of States. It is time to diminish the power of our federal government, not the value of the dollar.

Dr. Tanya Hettler

Director, Center for Education Excellence of the Caesar Rodney Institute

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