A sure-fire solution

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?