Voluntary trade benefits both sides. Unless both parties believe they will benefit from the exchange, they will not consent. Unfortunately, when property rights are weakened and the ownership of someone’s wealth or goods is debatable, people can gain more by trying to appropriate that wealth than by producing themselves. This behavior is called rent-seeking.

Representative Kristi Noem is accepting applications for summer internships in her Washington, D.C. office, as well as in her offices in Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Watertown. Student interns in Representative Noem’s office will assist staff with various constituent service and communications projects, as well as assist with legislative research. Both South Dakota and Washington, D.C. internships provide students with first-hand knowledge of the legislative process and the countless other functions of a congressional office.

All the hysteria about sequestration sounds frightening — but is it true? Of course not. According to The Wall Street Journal ”federal domestic discretionary spending soared by 84 percent with some agencies doubling and tripling their budgets” during Barack Obama’s first two years in office. In fact the sequester would scale back just one of every six dollars in discretionary spending increases since 2008.

In a move that likely makes grassroots conservatives and tea party members wonder why to bother voting Republican at all, the Virginia General Assembly has approved a budget with little opposition that implements a 3.5 percent gasoline sales tax per gallon that will rise every year with inflation. To get the votes, enough Senate Democrats needed to vote to pass the measure, too, so Republicans agreed to dramatically expand Medicaid under the Obamacare statute.

Western Civilization introduced the concepts of representative democracy and the “rule of law,” which ensures that everyone’s rights and freedoms are protected equally, regardless of wealth, power, race, etc. The U.S. Constitution ensures those concepts are reinforced and applied. This system of government resulted in the U.S. having the greatest freedoms, the most material prosperity and the greatest military might the world has ever known.

Why would our leaders want us economically hobbled? What would they gain if we fall into the swamp of poverty engulfing most of the world? Wouldn’t they be right there with us? Go to any Second or Third World country and you’ll see the rich and powerful behind walls in gated-communities where they live in the First World while everyone else sits in the dust eating leaves.

It’s unbelievable that grown-ups are playing the blame game over the sequester, but even more so when it involves elected officials. People bothered to vote, only to see the child-like behavior of those who are running around the DC playground pointing the blame finger on everyone but self? Oh, the insanity of it all.