King for the Last Time

Fellow Americans,

In my last two articles, King for a Day and King for Another Day, I wrote about the need to reduce the size of the federal government and I offered suggestions.  I will conclude with this article. 

·      Department of Defense:  The DOD has 1.4 million military troops and 700,000 civilian employees.  Its budget is over $700 billion!  That makes it the third highest government expense behind Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security.  Although our national defense is paramount and this is a legitimate role of the federal government, there is room for improvement.  First, I’d stop giving money to countries that hate us.  Then I’d curtail our military’s involvement in foreign affairs by not using our troops for political purposes.

·      Department of Energy:  The DOE employs over 100,000 federal and contract employees, with a budget of $23 billion!  Along with providing security for America’s nuclear weapons, it is also tasked with developing the country’s renewable energy program, which I believe is a huge waste of money and resources.  If “green energy” was cost-effective to produce and store, the government wouldn’t need to mandate or subsidize it!  Why not keep the government out of it and let private companies use their own money to research and develop wind and solar energy?  If we allow the free market to work, the best form of energy will prevail and everybody wins!

·      Department of Homeland Security:  The DHS has 250,000 employees and a budget of $58 billion!  This, too, is a necessary department, but I’d scrutinize the 20-plus agencies that fall under DHS because some of them seem redundant.  Go to www.whitehouse.gov to judge for yourself.   

This is by no means a complete list of the changes I’d make to the 15 federal departments of the executive branch.  Next, I’d review every one of the 600-plus federal agencies and bureaucracies scattered throughout the government that our tax dollars fund!  I am confident that not all of them are necessary, like the Helsinki Commission.  Go to www.usa.gov and decide for yourself which ones should be consolidated or dismantled.  I believe a good start would be an immediate 10% spending reduction across the board! 

Some government is necessary.  Too much is dangerous.  If we stick to the constitutional limits placed on the federal government, Americans can enjoy the liberty, security, and prosperity our founders intended.  Please pray for our country, and may God bless you and the United States of America!

Dan Landi

Kidder, MO