Politicians at all levels like to campaign on the idea of shrinking, streamlining or removing barriers to growth that prevent regular Americans from realizing the version of the American

Dream. This is something President Donald J. Trump has campaigned on because the President understands how burdensome navigating the government can be for the average citizen.

President Trump has focused his effort shrink the size of government by attempting to wrangle in our national debt and streamlining bureaucratic methods. But at every step, the President is met by fierce special interests and entrenched administrators that would rather keep the status quo then embrace new, bold thinking stifling any effort for change. The problem with our current governmental system is it has significantly expanded over time and once you inflate that authority, it’s hard to take it away.

A similar rigged and onerous centralization of government was created in the Mountain State, during the Great Depression, as lawmakers decided it was best if we moved almost all governmental responsibilities under state control. This has led to a cumbersome, slow and allconsuming state government that puts the present state of affairs over much needed modernization.

Just don’t take my word for it – by the numbers, the Mountain State employs over 47,000 people in government positions, making the state government the single largest employer in West Virginia. For decades, we’ve maintained an unusually large, centralized government, ranking fourth highest in the nation for the share of total government spending controlled by the state rather than local governments.

That spending isn’t trivial: combined state and local government expenditures consume roughly 25% of West Virginia’s personal income, far above the national average. In other words, we’ve centralized power and cost in Charleston, turning the state into both gatekeeper and burdenbearer for nearly every economic activity.

Truly, a free-market economy thrives when power, resources, and decisions rest within the people, not in bureaucracy. Yet, in West Virginia’s economy we force innovators to navigate over 110,000 individual state-level rules and regulations, licensing regimes, and permitting processes that slow down the chance to find dignity in work and independence.

Instead of focusing on core responsibilities of public safety, education, protection of individual rights, and basic infrastructure, our state has built an expensive regulatory apparatus that has choked opportunity rather than fostered it. The result is an imbalance: a government that employs tens of thousands, consumes a disproportionate share of income, and restricts autonomy. This footprint weighs down small businesses, suppresses innovation, and stunts long-term growth.

The solution isn’t just to trim the edges, but to right-size government. That requires bold, practical steps.

We need to cut through some of the bureaucratic red tape and the convoluted tax system we have piecemealed together over the last several decades. For every one rule or regulation proposed, we should remove three from the books. All tax credits should be sunset and reevaluated on a 10- year basis to ensure their intent is still intact. Let’s make government simpler.

Likewise, our maze of boards and commissions must be overhauled. Too many licensing bodies exist not to protect health or safety, but to decide who can participate in the economy. By sunsetting outdated commissions and consolidating the few that are truly necessary, we can eliminate barriers that keep entrepreneurs on the sidelines.

The state must also stop running businesses it has no businesses being in. Managing insurance agencies, turnpikes, healthcare facilities, and wholesale alcohol distribution distracts from government’s proper role. Divesting these assets would reduce budgetary strain and allow private and community-led innovation to flourish.

West Virginia’s future will not be secured by expanding government, but by empowering job creators, innovators, and workers to thrive free from state interference. A leaner, focused government would mean more than savings. It would mean additional resources for classrooms, more help for small businesses to grow, and give communities the tools to shape their destiny.

The further we push authority towards local control, the less government will stand as a barrier to prosperity There is no doubt that West Virginia’s largest obstacle to a brighter future isn’t geography, workforce, or even passing some silver bullet policy. It’s the size of our own government.

(Larry Pack is West Virginia’s 26th State Treasurer)