Defunding Government

Let’s see where we are at this moment.

We are in the process of lowering tax revenues to the federal government. This will also lower tax revenues to the several states and many municipalities. The spending net and financial support of many public programs radiate from DC throughout the land. Police funding, public housing, public education supports, research and development (mostly in space and military but these have practical use in just about everything else), transportation subsidies for roads, bridges and other vital infrastructure.

When these dollars are no longer available, then infrastructure will suffer and crumble. Local citizens will have to ante up for new roads, bridges, dams, power stations and what not. Public schools will suffer dwindling budgets, fewer teachers, and more private schools. You want the education, you must pay for it. Yourself. If you support public schools, your local tax revenues will be needed. California, New York and Illinois already know these things.

Healthcare funding will fall significantly. Gone will be Medicare and Medicaid programs. Forget the fact that Medicare and Social Security are funded directly by user premiums through FICA taxes on paychecks. Both the employer and the employee pay for this. Not the federal government. The feds provide the administration of the programs, but such are paid for via the premiums paid.

Medicaid is a healthcare program designed to support welfare recipients. Recall these are unemployed persons, children too young to care for themselves, and the elderly who have outlived their finances. These expenditures do not only support welfare recipients. Not all persons on welfare are ne’er do wells and lazy people taking advantage of the system. A reality check is needed here. Forget the anecdotal stories. Focus on facts and statistics.

What about agencies that protect the public. The FDA – Food and Drug Agency, DEA – Drug Enforcement Agency, FAA – Federal Aviation Agency, EPA – Environmental Protection Agency, HHS – Health and Human Services, HUD – Housing and Urban Development, and all the other alphabet soup agencies. Each is tasked to serve public needs and keep them safe and healthy. What about FEMA, education, and so many others?  Agriculture? Military?

Well, I guess we know what will be done with the military. It will survive and become larger. And let’s see, what about international and foreign relations? I suppose these will survive as well although the United Nations seems to be a target these days for elimination from American life.

With all the budget cutting – needed because the revenues have been eliminated – one wonders what will be done with congress and the white house? Will these be dinosaurs, too? Will these be trimmed back to skeleton numbers? One can only wish!

Big government or little? What is your wish?

This is the key question and one conservatives have been asking and forcing forward for many decades. Are you prepared to answer their question? What do YOU want? A small government that has little muscle and no interference with your life? Or a government large enough to manage the large and complicated matters none of us or our regional governments can handle on their own?

This is the question. Has been for some time. The defunding of the federal government has been the aim of conservatives for a long time. The time is now.

Also, kindly remember Ronnie Reagan and what he did. He cut federal taxes, too, when they were much higher. He defunded federal programs but MANDATED they continue at the state level. Of course, the states were to fund them on their own. And they did by raising state income taxes and heavy increases to local property taxes.  Do you recall those days when this happened? That was the ‘80’s. Most of you were too young to know of this debacle. But it was a new reality then. And Reagan earned praise from nearly every corner.

We are still paying the bill for that shift in responsibility and funding. Remember there is no free lunch. One way or another we all pay for what we get.

The big questions today is – what do we want?

Frankly, I don’t have much confidence in the American people to know what they want. They have been distracted by too many other things, most of those self-centered. Perhaps I’m wrong and the people will respond with a loud chorus of good news?

Please! Prove me wrong.

December 7, 2017