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Chapter 4: Government Overreach

According to the National Association of
Manufacturers, federal regulations cost the U.S. more
than 12% of the gross domestic product and $20,000
per employee per year to satisfy regulations. This
burden on manufacturers effectively raises the cost of
hiring full-time employees and has led to more part-
time jobs. These excessive regulations also put
American producers at a competitive disadvantage with
some foreign competitors and have forced American
companies to relocate to foreign countries by either
buying a competitor and moving their domicile
overseas or selling themselves to a competitor.

PROPERTY RIGHTS

When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of
Independence, with the help of James Madison, he
affirmed the natural rights of man. The Declaration says
that we are “endowed by our creator with certain rights,
that among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness.” The purpose of the Constitution is to keep
the government in check, to divide and diffuse power
among the different branches of government.

President Trump, like Thomas Jefferson, believes
that our rights come from our humanity and our
humanity is a gift from God. Rights, like the freedom of
speech and the freedom of the press and the freedom of
assembly, are natural human rights, they do not come
from the government. Therefore, the government cannot
take these rights away from us. This belief in the

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