I was immersed in the “business” of Martin County one day last week as part of Leadership Class sponsored by the Stuart/Martin Chamber of Commerce of which I am a member. One day a month, we examine a slice of county life such as criminal justice or non-profits. This month it was business. Many people may still believe we only have retail and service businesses in the county, but that is far from the truth.

We have a strong and growing manufacturing sector.  Unlike the factories of several decades ago that had assembly lines of workers, these newer versions have far fewer employees and rely more on computers than wrenches. Manufacturing has high paying jobs and contributes proportionately more in taxes than other types of businesses. This is the good news. The bad news is that, like every tax payer, they also have their gripes about our county government.

As individuals, most love being situated in Martin County. They like our schools, amenities and life style. As business owners and leaders, they wish the county government was more business friendly. When I asked for specifics on what the county could do to help, their answers in most cases were more about attitudes than actual problems. I agree that perception, attitude and fair implementation are important to a business-friendly government.

I think much of the frustration lies in not being able to get concrete answers to questions. As someone who has been in the private sector his entire working life, what I want is answers to my questions. I can’t plan on maybe. The county commission needs to have definite enforceable policies so that the different departments can give exact answers when asked specific questions ranging from what can be built on a parcel to whether a use is allowable.

At the same time business needs to stop acting as if they are persecuted by our local government. It accomplishes nothing and business people begin to sound like a bunch of whiners. The very life style the business people applaud is the one that our current commissioners want to maintain. These are the commissioners and the vision that the majority of Martin County voters want. Voters don’t want a change in western Martin County. Voters don’t want to go above the 4 story height limit. Voters want things to remain like they are regardless of whether, in the long run, these policies are good, bad or indifferent for the economic health of the county.

The real problem with our county is the percentage of income that is generated by for-profit businesses. For example, in the Leadership Class I mentioned earlier, 80% of the participants either work for a non-profit or the government. This is no entrepreneurial bunch. How can we, as a county or a nation survive, when so much of our economic activity is based on taxes or donated dollars? This ironically includes the Business Development Board which receives the bulk of its funding from taxes.

Private business is no stranger to receiving governmental handouts either. Several of the businesses that presented that day stated that they receive either government grants, loans or subsidies and are looking for more. This is far from capitalism as it is supposed to be practiced. While we may claim to want to be free of government constraint, we as a nation have embraced the culture of government handouts. Business is so use to relying on government money that perhaps AAF believes they really are a privately funded scheme instead of one counting on federal loan guarantees.

We need to re-evaluate this crony capitalism on the local, state and federal level. We have become a country where nothing can be done unless the government gives you a tax break, subsidy, grant or loan. I would contend we need a government that helps needy individuals with tax dollars but not businesses or nonprofits.  A free society is not based on every citizen’s ability to carry a gun to protect their freedom.  A free society happens when government stays far from economic development and allows the market to control economic destinies.