The national budget must be balanced. The public debt must be reduced; the arrogance of the authorities must be moderated and controlled. Payments to foreign governments must be reduced. If the nation doesn’t want to go bankrupt, people must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance. – Marcus Tullius Cicero, 55 BC
It is a popular delusion that the government wastes vast amounts of money through inefficiency and sloth. Enormous effort and elaborate planning are required to waste this much money. – P.J. O’Rourke
Unnecessary laws are not good laws, but traps for money. – Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, 1651
I have come up a fabulous idea, and need to share it with the world as quickly and as often as I can. The more I think about it, the more I am sure it is the last, best hope for freedom. First, I should point out what I've observed in the political landscape. People in the politics business are motivated by the same thing that motivates regular people. Self interest. Sure, they talk a different game, but it really is about their personal best interest.
What motivates regular people and politicians is the idea of "what's in it for me?". And, for the most part, the only incentives we as a people give to our politicians is low pay and high stress. Hence, the need for the pols to moonlight, as it were, and to make their gravy on the side. Further, they and their fellow civil servants have a need to keep the system rolling to maintain their gravy train.
I propose something more in line with an enlightened self interest for each federal employee.
How about a system of incentives to eliminate government spending? Pay them a commission. Yes, pay a percent of every government program eliminated directly to the people who eliminate it. Department of Energy? Gone. Pay each of the employees enough to retire on and pull out. National Endowment of the Arts? Adios. No useful function to that group anyway. Department of Health and Human Services? Retired.
I'm thinking we could get to a right sized government really, really fast. We just have to approach it like a business would, and properly incentivize what is needed. We have to replace the under the table incentives with true above board money. That will turn every politician into an honest representative of the people.
Can anyone tell me why that would not work?
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Fair share
U.S. NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK
The Outstanding Public Debt as of 12 Jun 2009 at 05:53:37 PM GMT is:
The Outstanding Public Debt as of 12 Jun 2009 at 05:53:37 PM GMT is:
The estimated population of the United States is 306,355,187
so each citizen's share of this debt is $37,182.29.
The National Debt has continued to increase an average of
$3.83 billion per day since September 28, 2007!
Concerned? Then tell Congress and the White House!
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
How would it feel to each citizen of this country if they and each of their children were presented with a bill for $37, 182.29? If everyone in their family took out a credit card and maxed it out to the tune of $37 large plus. Family of four? You just added another house payment. For 30 years.
I believe people want to do their share, and when they see what their share really is, there should be a great deal of discomfort over where this country is going.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Graduation Day
Now, understand -- understand, Class of 2009, I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away. Because no matter how much we may want to fudge it -- indeed, while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory -- the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature. Barry H Obama, Commencement Exercises at The University of Notre Dame du Lac, May 17, 2009
I wasn't going to blog about this. It should have been a private celebration of our family and friends for the graduation of our daughter, and I really wanted it to stay that way. Instead, it became an event. A memorable one, to be sure, and well covered in the media (so much so, one would think there was little more to say). Still, it calls to be blogged about.
I wanted to have a nice traditional midwest college campus graduation with nothing but fond memories and a beautiful spring day. Not a chance on this day. Not with Air Force One flying in and out of town, and four miles of silent (and not so silent) protesters lining the streets leading to campus. I felt sorry for everybody. The protesters, the parents, the security guards, our daughter and the rest of the students. I'm sure some thought it was good theater, and a thrill to hang with his magnanimousness. My thought was why did this have to happen on our time?
Three weeks have passed, and nothing of any consequence was decided. The quotation above leaves one with a great deal to wonder about. It's the president telling us that there is no right and no wrong in the abortion conflict. There is no leadership in that quote; and none was forthcoming the entire afternoon. One speech after another of politicians and academics trying to outlecture each other.
You see, this was an opportunity to lead, and our leader called it a draw. It's exactly what he's doing in foreign policy (Israel and Palestine are equivalent. They're both right). Same thing over abortion. Yes, it's an electric issue. It's an emotional one, but it's also an issue that people can't navigate around, because of all the bad laws put up in protection of the current legal landscape.
What could he have done? Return the issue to the states where it belongs. What Obama could have done is pledge to unravel the legal mechanisms so that the people could decide. No, he's a big time supporter of Roe v Wade despite it being one of the most poorly and hastily constructed mishaps in the history of the Supreme Court. With that as backdrop we are going to populate the court with more people who have less regard for life than they do for causes.
Your Wizer has long been a pro-life libertarian. What that means is that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should be preserved for everyone, including the unborn. Especially the unborn, since they are the most vulnerable among us.
That is my deepest held belief, and why I must blog today.
So, what of abortion? What are the elements of it that a constitutionalist must follow? Well, for one, he must make no law abridging the rights of the individual. So, for the federal government to even be involved in this issue is unconstitutional. One might make the argument that the mother of the unborn child is an individual, too. Fair enough. It's something that can and should be debated at the state level. The debate is currently precluded by a federal court ruling, and that's why the argument is even still in place 36 years later. It's not for the Federal government to say. But what the federal government should do is stay out of the argument. That's especially true if you believe both sides are right; as apparently Barry H Obama does.
I wasn't going to blog about this. It should have been a private celebration of our family and friends for the graduation of our daughter, and I really wanted it to stay that way. Instead, it became an event. A memorable one, to be sure, and well covered in the media (so much so, one would think there was little more to say). Still, it calls to be blogged about.
I wanted to have a nice traditional midwest college campus graduation with nothing but fond memories and a beautiful spring day. Not a chance on this day. Not with Air Force One flying in and out of town, and four miles of silent (and not so silent) protesters lining the streets leading to campus. I felt sorry for everybody. The protesters, the parents, the security guards, our daughter and the rest of the students. I'm sure some thought it was good theater, and a thrill to hang with his magnanimousness. My thought was why did this have to happen on our time?
Three weeks have passed, and nothing of any consequence was decided. The quotation above leaves one with a great deal to wonder about. It's the president telling us that there is no right and no wrong in the abortion conflict. There is no leadership in that quote; and none was forthcoming the entire afternoon. One speech after another of politicians and academics trying to outlecture each other.
You see, this was an opportunity to lead, and our leader called it a draw. It's exactly what he's doing in foreign policy (Israel and Palestine are equivalent. They're both right). Same thing over abortion. Yes, it's an electric issue. It's an emotional one, but it's also an issue that people can't navigate around, because of all the bad laws put up in protection of the current legal landscape.
What could he have done? Return the issue to the states where it belongs. What Obama could have done is pledge to unravel the legal mechanisms so that the people could decide. No, he's a big time supporter of Roe v Wade despite it being one of the most poorly and hastily constructed mishaps in the history of the Supreme Court. With that as backdrop we are going to populate the court with more people who have less regard for life than they do for causes.
Your Wizer has long been a pro-life libertarian. What that means is that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should be preserved for everyone, including the unborn. Especially the unborn, since they are the most vulnerable among us.
That is my deepest held belief, and why I must blog today.
So, what of abortion? What are the elements of it that a constitutionalist must follow? Well, for one, he must make no law abridging the rights of the individual. So, for the federal government to even be involved in this issue is unconstitutional. One might make the argument that the mother of the unborn child is an individual, too. Fair enough. It's something that can and should be debated at the state level. The debate is currently precluded by a federal court ruling, and that's why the argument is even still in place 36 years later. It's not for the Federal government to say. But what the federal government should do is stay out of the argument. That's especially true if you believe both sides are right; as apparently Barry H Obama does.
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