What does a "small government" look like?

You are so very correct. I agree completely.

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And that is what you THINK is going on?

Come on.

 

it isn't working

 

Well, we need to disagree there.

 

Has the explosion in government spending and regulation over the last 70 years helped the economy?

The answer is no, see chart



At some point, you have to cut back government spending, lessons learned in all welfare states. We are broke and going in deeper, this cannot continue (chart)



Start with the Medicaid and end of life spending, tie entitlements to GDP, stop Obamacare, get rid the useless dept. of education, peg DoD at 4% GDP and leave it alone

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I can't believe someone thinks things are great in Washington, I heard you guys exist, just never met one

 

If you only care about Big Government when it's at the Federal level and have no problem with Big Government at the State/Local level, then you don't really believe in Small Government.

 

The answer isn't as simple as "shrinking" government. I would agree that perhaps the way government works should be reformed in certain ways.

But all this TALK doesn't help either.

Let's be about doing what is best for the people.

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You aren't serious; you're on 'ignore'.

Regards.

 

Correct. Each level of government here has its role to play. More than the 'size', I am concerned about the 'function'.

 

You can cut down government spending easily , just stop doing this

 

some ok, some BS. Retirement fund bank fees? that's stupid and shows the article is left wing hackery, but I agree that those FDR farm subsidies have to go

 

1. Almost every state has a balanced budget amendment or some such control in place. It's not like they can just create debt out of thin air and print money to pay for it.

2. I can move from one state to a "friendlier" state. I cannot move to another country so easily.

States have a natural balance in place. The federal government does not for obvious reasons.

 

Can you be more specific? What about food and water?

Last time we tried that, World War II erupted. Care to repeat?

Why the obsession with states? States shouldn't act like independent countries.

What difference does it make if it is Federal vs. state?

As in.. through taxes.. which requires the government to collect taxes.

Balanced budgets are irresponsible for the economy. Monetary sovereign governments NEED debt to grow.

 

A small federal government is one that provides for the defense of the nation, keeps the interstate free-market playing field level for all who care to play, and allows its free people the liberty to succeed or fail based on their own skills, education, drive, and decisions. The small federal government leaves it to the states and the people to provide necessary social safety nets.

 

Actually this is incorrect. Nearly every U.S. state is in debt. Texas, which boasts about no personal income tax, has the 3rd greatest debt burden in the country, and 2nd in debt per capita.

States shall not act like small countries. Where is the benefit of this? All States Rights have done is make the Southern conservatives states significantly lag behind the Northern liberal states in every major category: Total household income, education, lower rates of teen pregnancy, higher % of health insured residents.

Like I said, some states just succeeded in sucking too much. The Federal government allows the blue states to subsidize the red states.

 

HA!!!!

It is impossible for the U.S. government to be broke or insolvent. It controls its own currency and assets!

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This is an arbitrary number with no merit.

 

I'll take both. I like the sugar free flavor stuff for the water though.

Correlation does not imply causation.

There's a REASON, the constitution is enumerated with everything else going to the states...... It's called a "balance of power".

Because the federal government by it's enumerated powers was never meant to handle social welfare. Another balance of power......

It's almost like it's an enumerated power within the constitution itself!

The big banking/corporate indoctrination is STRONG with this one!

 

Wrong this form of government is very feasible.

If it were solely left up to the states most of what you describe such as segregation etc would have changed and for the better but without government interference wheich makes things worse.

For example segregation would have died without being replaced with forced integration of schools which is just as bad.

The people can change for force change in state government much more easily due to the simple fact that they have more control. They can vote and their vote carries more weight at the state level than at the federal. In addition they can vote with their feet by simplymoving to It is another state. It is much harder to move to another nation.

 

I was referring to how you would regulate it.

Isolationism allows dictators from the East to have free reign. Eventually they will threaten America like they did before.

Blah blah blah.. the obselete constitution.

Still doesn't disprove the facts. A Balanced budget introduces no future monetary wealth for the private sector.

 

A small government country looks prosperous, and most people are working. It does not have a bunch of underworked over paid b'crat setting around sopping up the taxpayers money. Like Washington to day I might add. Washington could get rid of 50% of the b'crats there and we would never miss them!!!!!!

 

so did the Soviet Union, there are many ways to be broke, one is for your currency to degrade, the GDP chart factors in the value of currency.

You one of those backwards people that thinks monetary printing replaces organic production?

 

I have a trillion dollar Zimbabwe bill that begs to differ.

We built the interstate highway system, saw the fastest decline in poverty, had the most powerful military at that number, that is why I picked it. Ike's term is fine with me economically speaking. You can even get those tax codes as long as we get our spending and debt decreases. Deal?

Even Keynes thought 25% total government was the highest you should go to without harming the economy.

 

Make a list. You can work off of this one...

List of FY2011 Federal Outlays of At Least $10 billion...
Food Stamps -- 78
Child Nutrition programs -- 17
Entire Dept of Commerce -- 10
Military Personnel costs -- 162
Military Operations & Maintenance -- 291
Military Procurement -- 128
Military R&D -- 75
Military Construction -- 20
Race to the Top grants -- 20
State budget support for schools -- 12
IDEA/Special Ed programs -- 17
Pell Grants etc. -- 38
Entire Dept of Energy -- 31
National Institutes of Health -- 34
Medicaid -- 275
Medicare Part-A -- 263
Medicare Part-B --234
Medicare Part-D -- 66
TANF -- 66
Child & Family services -- 11
Customs & Border Patrol -- 12
US Coast Guard -- 11
Section 8 housing -- 19
All other housing -- 19
All Community Planning block grants -- 14
Entire Dept of the Interior -- 14
FBI and DEA -- 10
Unemployment benefits -- 168
Foreign affairs -- 11
Foreign assistance -- 15
Civilian air operations -- 11
Highway programs -- 45
Transit programs -- 12
Housing & Economic Recovery -- 29
TARP -- 24
Earned Income Tax Credit -- 56
Additional Child Care Credit -- 23
Make Work Pay Tax Credit -- 14
Interest on Public Debt -- 454
Veterans Medical Benefits -- 40
Veterans Pension and Other Benefits -- 68
Corps of Engineers -- 10
EPA -- 11
Security Assistance -- 12
NASA -- 18
Civil Service Benefits -- 74
Supp Security Income -- 56
SS Pension & Survivor -- 599
SS Disability -- 132

LOCAL school boards run the show. Guidelines, standards, and funding for special programs come from the state amd federal levels.

You mean the founders who went sailing off to North Africa to fight the Barbary pirates?

These programs are already run by states.

Self-funded? Where are they supposed to get the money? Bake sales?

Worst idea ever. No one who understands the difference between a household and a national government could ever support such a boneheaded notion.

 

Blaming the power company when a light bulb burns out? What's not working here is the brains of all these limited capacity Limbaugh-listeners.

 

Not smaller government--smaller FEDERAL government. Other than defense and basic truly nationwide concerns (not concerns of somebody in the nation), either fund it and let the states handle it or just reduce federal spending and taxation and let the states fund their programs and issues that they deem most worthwhile. Competition among the states will have a normative effect.

 

But it hasn't....

Tea Party states are lagging behind and are propped up by the more enlightened states.

 

the fact is we are far apart on ideological choices, so there is no way one government will be effective. quit pretending there is 'one way'