With the midterm elections rapidly approaching, the issues on the minds of Americans are clear. Inflation, gas prices, the economy and worries over money dominate nearly every poll of voters. Taxes, a possible recession and crime fall not far behind. However, if you followed the actions of some politicians in Washington you would almost certainly think tech-focusedissues are key. The reality? Americans know these anti-innovation proposals are unnecessary, out of touch and couldmake things worse.
After a tumultuous two years for the U.S. economy, some Democrats in Washington seem hellbent on doing everything they can to inflict more pain on American businesses and consumers. Facing historic levels of inflation, continued supply chain issues and labor shortages, the last thing any business needs today is more regulation from Congress. The American people know what’s at risk and are keeping a close eye on Washington.
Tech focused legislation is a low priority for the American public who are facing serious economic hardships. A recent poll from NetChoice highlights just how misguided the Democrats’attempts to rewrite anti-trust laws are in the eyes of the public. The poll found that just one percent of Americans think that the government should prioritize regulating tech. This presents a stark contrast to the nearly seventy percent of Americans who see inflation as a problem in a recent Pew Research Poll. Eighty-seven percent of those polled in another survey by the American Edge Project said that legislation restricting American technology companies from developing innovative new products could make the U.S. less economically competitive. Eighty-four percent are also concerned about the increased costs of digital tools and online services, especially for small businesses. At a time when Americans are concerned about being able to fill their gas tank or put food on table, it is clear they want government to leave them alone and focus on fixing what’s broken.
The anti-trust proposals, more aptly called anti-innovation proposals, would be devastating for small businesses across the country, and especially here in West Virginia. The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns forced many of our favorite mom and pop shops to take their business online for the first time. In a rural state like ours these businesses found new customers, new fans and new ways to market their store through social media. For so many small shops, a Facebook page is often their only means of online marketing. Attempts to break up our biggest domesticinnovators could be problematic for a lot of our favorite localshops. Politicians are misguided to believe they can just hurt the “big guys,” but this anti-business mindset will affect the rest of us negatively too.
The bipartisan consensus among voters of all parties is clear: get our economy back to work. Stop the reckless spending, mandates and meddling, and let West Virginians prosper. Sixty-one percent of Americans trust the free market more than the government to enhance competition and it’s time for Washington, DC leaders to listen. Let’s let our businesses make the best decision for their customers and stop the overregulation.