my little political post

image via http://www.old-picture.com

Now that the furor of and the aftermath of the recent elections has ceased and the small government party has the House again (though they had it for 8 years and only managed to produce an unprecedented deficit), I have a few thoughts.

I'll agree that the economy out there needs some fixing. And I'll agree that this country spends money on things that it needn't, although what those things are, we may disagree on. I'll even agree that I would like less government. I don't claim to have any kind of solution or even to really understand the problems. I do, though, find it simplistic to just say spend less, tax less, less government.

OK then, given that's the answer, what are you personally willing to give up? You, the one who voted for the politician that ran on the 'less government' platform, what are you willing to give up to make this happen? Your disability check? Your pension? Your social security? The grant you may have benefitted from directly or indirectly? No? What about funding for highways and infrastructure, for education or research to find cures for disease or technology to advance or just feed our civilization? What about the inspectors that keep our restaurants and food supply uncontaminated? No? So what then are you personally willing to give up in order to have a smaller government with a balanced budget and lower taxes?

It would be so much easier for me to take these people seriously, the ones who vote for less government, less spending, less taxes, if they would start with themselves. But they don't. They always want to start with the programs that help the most vulnerable among us, the demonized 'social' programs. Because these voters had the good luck to be born into a situation where they weren't faced with the kinds of debilitating social conditions that makes it nearly impossible to succeed, because they themselves never needed that kind of help, because they pulled themselves up by their boot straps they think that everyone can and should. But tell me, how deep was that hole really they were pulling themselves out of?

This is what I would like to see. All those people who voted in representatives and governors intent on dismantling the government should start with themselves as should the politicians elected. My republican cousin should start by refusing his disability checks (he has a droopy eyelid) and his social security checks. The legislators should start by refusing more than a basic wage for their services. They should refuse the ridiculous retirement package that they have voted in for themselves and the privileged healthcare insurance they get for life. They should have to rely on the same retirement and healthcare options available to the rest of us. Then they should start with their constituencies by refusing any and all government money. Only then should they cast their eye afield.

I wonder, if we Americans could choose what programs to fund with our taxes, what would we choose. If our tax returns included a list of government programs and departments and we could select which and who we wanted to fund and how much went where, what would we select? I wonder which ones would get the big payoffs and which would not be funded.

If you could choose, what would you fund?