We have a Federal Government rapidly growing by design. The Government is entering areas of people’s lives wherever possible, institutionalizing what they can so regulations prevail, fees grow, and control, the power of the government, can be exercised as much and as pervasively as possible. The Nanny State, a label, where Sam USA says what you can wear, eat, say and support. Eat peas, not Oreos, where chinos, not hip huggers, say evolution, not God as the first cause, bless global warming initiatives, and do not drive gas guzzlers (even if they are classics.) If it is not regulated we will find a regulation to fit and a regulator to oversee.
Government’s obsession with control is in Banking, Health Care (Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Doctors, Insurers), Energy, Communications, Wall Street, Corporations, Labor/Unions, Shipping, Imports/Exports, and on and on. It is invasive. People’s independence is being eroded. The Government wants to be everyone’s food source. Soon to be inspections of homes (especially if someone is receiving benefits from the government – welfare or health care), or group homes (now possible if more than 16 residents), regulations on weight [taxes on anything with sugar, no bake sales in public schools, even penalties for being overweight (based on government established standards)], smoker taxes (already on tobacco products), alcohol consumption taxes (already in place), and auto taxes, when gas mileage does not meet government standards (with inspections for a fee to determine) to be penalized, and mileage taxes, to help pay for activities of the Department of Transportation.
What can our government do to cut back, to reduce, to budget, to insure outflows = inflows, and to insure representatives of the people are upright citizens with the intentions and needs of the people in mind (more than those of the representatives).
Much can be done by Washington to save Trillions, make Government more efficient, more effective, and more reflective of the desires of the wonderful peoples of our great Nation.
1. Eliminate Subsidies, Farm Subsidies, Sugar subsidies, Energy Development subsidies, and any other subsidy. Means test as a minimum.
2. Earmark requests in separate stand-alone legislation, accompanied with the name of the author and the intent. Each earmark means tested.
3. Eliminate current non-essential Earmarks.
4. Eliminate support for the National Endowment for the Arts and similar organizations that can be served by outside, non-government organizations.
5. Eliminate naming opportunities for Congressmen, Senators and other Government members (except after death) on buildings, bridges, roadways, etc., unless contributions made are by the elected official themselves (out of their pockets and the goodness of their hearts).
6. Reduce franking privileges, the use of free postal services. Much can be saved here - use email, and for campaign constituency purposes use campaign funds.
7. Get the Federal Government out of the abortion business, the business of voter registration and other non-specific activities of Government – such as payments to Planned Parenthood, ACORN and the like. Let the support for these groups come from non-government sources – charities.
8. No direct Federal Government funding for welfare recipients, with exceptions and limitations. Food stamps and unemployment may remain in the government hands.
a. When it comes to home health care, or child care, the government may determine eligibility and issue funds – in the form of vouchers – and then allow the recipient to find providers for services that either accept the voucher or accept the voucher but require additional monies, the recipient left with the choice or need to find the added funding to use the provider of their choice. Supplemental money provided by the government may be used to fund ancillaries.
b. The same would apply to long-term care, the government would provide vouchers for daily nursing home care to be paid directly to a care facility. The beneficiary would be left to choose the home and if more daily monies are required they can be provided by the beneficiary or charities or family members.
c. In good years (excess Revenues) government can provide monies to charitable groups to help fund activities to help the poor, sick and needy. In bad years (deficits) government can cut back on giving funds to help charities. Charities would then trim there services or find ways to better, more efficiently, care and help, seeking more volunteers.
9. Allow States, only, to tax oil, energy companies, to the extent resources are recovered from that State, and to be paid for and to the benefit of the Residents.
10. Reform campaign finance and simplify documentation. Make it easier for seekers to office to comply with requirements to raise funds and run for office.
11. Limit the time candidates can campaign for an elected office. Say 6 months max.
12. Establish Term limits for all legislators – 2 terms max.
13. Reduce or eliminate payments to subsidize museums and Parks, allowing entrance fees to support. Raise entry fees when necessary. Allow for private funding.
14. Eliminate payments for Portraits of any member of the Government or Military. Photographs only.
15. Flat tax or National Sales Tax (preferred), thus eliminating the IRS. State programs to remain, based on sales tax only. (Note: It is est. costs of goods sold, what you ultimately pay to purchase any given product, with the elimination of business taxes and the costs associated with tax filing, will change little from today, even with value added tax. Savings (cuts) from:
a. IRS significantly reduced.
b. No forms to be processed
c. No need for business taxes
d. No need for taxes on investments, IRA’s, ROTH plans, interest, dividends, capital gains, etc.
e. Revenue benefit: Capture Revenues from the Underground Economy.
16. Significantly reduce, ease, Regulations on businesses and Banks (in turn reducing policing action of business by Government and associated costs).
a. Lower cost of goods manufactured.
b. Increase demand, due to lower cost.
c. Increase jobs.
d. Lower interest rates
e. Improve productivity
17. Significantly reduce, ease, Regulations on health care providers (in turn reducing policing action of business by Government and associated costs).
a. Lower cost of health care
b. Increase staffing for patient care – staff not otherwise engaged in meeting exacting government requirements and paperwork.
c. lower cost of health care to government itself – Medicare and Medicaid
18. No riders on legislation that is not in concert with the Bill itself.
19. Reduce hearings by legislature that are non-essential and act only to provide a platform for members of the legislature to make political statements.
20. Eliminate all Parties, no Republican, no Democrat, Independent or other. All voters to register as ‘Voters.’
a. All Congressmen and Senators to run as individuals, representing only their personal views not party politics.
b. Objective – to enable individual thought and minimize pressure by Party leaders on newly elected; also to eliminate the herding instinct and partisan politics.
21. Establish limits for the years a staff member can work for any legislator in Washington, for Congress 6 years – for the Senate 12 years.
22. Neither lobbyist nor the staff member of lobbyists should attend functions attended by elected representatives.
23. Disallow any government intervention is decisions by business as to salaries or bonuses.
24. Government – legislators, precluded (abstain) from voting on measures that directly effect contributors to political campaigns.
25. Welfare recipients, not to include Medicaid, ineligible to vote until no longer on welfare. Cannot directly support any candidate for office, or contribute to any candidate (doing so would be using payments from the Government to support a political candidate).
26. Reduce all Regulations. Use an ombudsman system to be called when abuses occur that matter.
27. Create a test for registrants to vote. Pass the test and register.
a. Citizen of the USA
b. ID
c. Lived in area for at least one year – proof of residence.
28. Insure all government programs cover 100% of the costs.
29. Any form of arbitration should be conducted by non-governmental employees (esp. labor/union relations)
30. Eliminate fraud and inefficiencies in Medicare
31. Eliminate fraud and inefficiencies in Medicaid
32. Contract outside providers to manage VA hospitals. Government to provide 100% of funding and incentives to achieve savings from prior year’s operations.
33. Eliminate burdens of approvals to have Infrastructure Projects (Shovel-Ready) started.
34. Eliminate burdens of approvals to drill for oil in US.
35. Reduce unneeded Governmental Agencies, where redundancy reigns; Education and Health Care are rife with excess and overlap.
36. Eliminate unnecessary Departments – delegate responsibility to States.
a. Education – formed in the 80’s – return this responsibility to the States.
b. Energy – again leave it to State by State discretion – the Feds have never produced one barrel of oil
c. Defense – formed after WWII
d. Commerce – States to regulate
37. Federal Government Staff Reductions
a. Reduce the size of staff of Congressmen and Senators by half.
b. Limit President’s wife to a secretary – maximum paid staff.
c. Other:
i. Congress and Senate
1. Reduce # of offices each member can maintain
2. Require a specified number of days to be in session and do not pay for those missed.
3. Reduce ‘boondoggle’ educational trips.
ii. White House
1. Fewer trips with the compliment of personnel President (Obama the example) deems necessary.
2. Less freedom for extravagant travel by the President’s wife.
iii. Military
1. Careful consideration given to troop needs. Rely on military officers with expertise, not President.
2. Use of technology over man-power, drones over infantry.
iv. Postal Service
1. Eliminate Saturday delivery
2. Only deliver bulk-mail and magazines one or two days per week (like Tuesday and Friday)
3. Establish more P.O. Box only areas.
v. Modify all Government Pension programs to align with private sector, or Social Security only.
38. In addition to reducing the size and cost of government, restrict the number and frequency of studies being conducted on behalf of the government paid by the government that answer government questions the way they want them answered.
39. Increase the age for Medicare and Social Security – 70 or 75, and scale added increases to longevity.
40. Foreign Government Support – reduce our expenditures to countries that simply do not like us, or like us only for our money. Help the poor, not the tyrants.
Grace and Peace
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
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