The Federal Government has a $16 trillion debt and it is still growing. If we don't get this problem under control soon (and I'm not hopeful that we will), we are heading for higher interest rates, lost jobs, diminished wealth and possible civil unrest.
Our government in Washington bailed out large banks and businesses that were "too big to fail". Who will bail out the government? For surely, we cannot allow an entity that has become so big that it's failure would be disastrous for each one of us. Perhaps we should consider that such a government is just too damn big.
The Constitution calls for a government that is limited with powers diffused not only by a system of checks and balances but also by its federalist nature. The advantage of such constraints are not only beneficial to a free society and effective governance but also to ameliorate damages possible by the failure of a single governing entity. For example, the effects of a single state going bankrupt are much less than that of a large unitary government.
As the old saying says: we have met the enemy and it is us. We must get our spending under control. To those who say that we must raise taxes to balance the budget, I would ask how high do they think taxes should be? My next question would be to ask if they understood how a free enterprise system really works? For it is not government spending that drives the economy but the diverse interaction of many in a free exchange of goods and services.
Cutting spending (and decreasing the size of government) makes sense not only in lowering the debt but in other ways as well. For example, it is often said in reference to federal laws and regulations that "one size does not fit all". We live in a diverse country with different cultures, economies, faiths etc.
A law that may be apropos for New York may not be for Montana. Federal programs (such as gun laws) may have public acceptance in some states but not in others. For these reasons, some issues may best be left to the states. An added benefit is that our national government can't seem to resolve them anyway.
Which leads to my final point. Why is the Federal Government so dysfunctional? We might be able to lessen this dysfunction by implementing various changes such as term limits, an amendment to require balanced budgets, tax code revisions etc. But assuming they would be enacted (unlikely) would their passage change anything? Would we still have an atmosphere of acrimony and distrust? And attitudes of disrespect if not outright disdain for the other side.
In the past, there have been sufficient reasons to struggle for important programs such as civil rights. There will continue to be important issues to face the Nation in the future. We need to get beyond those of the past and learn how to resolve the ones remaining and to come. If we can't trust one another and not respect other opinions, we are doomed to failure. For love of Country and our constitutional form of government, it is time for constructive debate and resolution of our problems.
Our government in Washington bailed out large banks and businesses that were "too big to fail". Who will bail out the government? For surely, we cannot allow an entity that has become so big that it's failure would be disastrous for each one of us. Perhaps we should consider that such a government is just too damn big.
The Constitution calls for a government that is limited with powers diffused not only by a system of checks and balances but also by its federalist nature. The advantage of such constraints are not only beneficial to a free society and effective governance but also to ameliorate damages possible by the failure of a single governing entity. For example, the effects of a single state going bankrupt are much less than that of a large unitary government.
As the old saying says: we have met the enemy and it is us. We must get our spending under control. To those who say that we must raise taxes to balance the budget, I would ask how high do they think taxes should be? My next question would be to ask if they understood how a free enterprise system really works? For it is not government spending that drives the economy but the diverse interaction of many in a free exchange of goods and services.
Cutting spending (and decreasing the size of government) makes sense not only in lowering the debt but in other ways as well. For example, it is often said in reference to federal laws and regulations that "one size does not fit all". We live in a diverse country with different cultures, economies, faiths etc.
A law that may be apropos for New York may not be for Montana. Federal programs (such as gun laws) may have public acceptance in some states but not in others. For these reasons, some issues may best be left to the states. An added benefit is that our national government can't seem to resolve them anyway.
Which leads to my final point. Why is the Federal Government so dysfunctional? We might be able to lessen this dysfunction by implementing various changes such as term limits, an amendment to require balanced budgets, tax code revisions etc. But assuming they would be enacted (unlikely) would their passage change anything? Would we still have an atmosphere of acrimony and distrust? And attitudes of disrespect if not outright disdain for the other side.
In the past, there have been sufficient reasons to struggle for important programs such as civil rights. There will continue to be important issues to face the Nation in the future. We need to get beyond those of the past and learn how to resolve the ones remaining and to come. If we can't trust one another and not respect other opinions, we are doomed to failure. For love of Country and our constitutional form of government, it is time for constructive debate and resolution of our problems.