Call Their Bluff on Govt. Shutdown
If serious government spending cuts can’t be made, Republicans must call Democrats’ bluff and be prepared to shut the government down. With our national debt soaring past $14.3 trillion and the deficit at historic highs, conservatives don’t have the option of blinking first in the battle for America’s soul.
Liberals are panicked over a government shut down because they honestly believe that without a big comprehensive government, America would break down into chaos. Without big brother pulling the levers, they believe there is no society. Without Uncle Sam spending exorbitant sums, there is no economy. A government shutdown is our chance to prove these precepts wrong once and for all.
Of course there are parts of the federal government that are absolutely crucial – national security, for one. Nobody is seriously talking about halting those operations. That’s not going to stop Democrats from parading around a grandma whose Social Security check came late, or a kid whose field trip to a national museum got canceled. Would some Americans be inconvenienced by a shutdown? Of course. Some seriously inconvenienced? Yes. But overwhelmingly, the big story would be how easily the country moves on without the many nonessential departments of government.
Some of the possible spending reductions could easily be: Eliminating subsidies for wealthy agricultural corporations; there is no shortage of food in our obese society.. Raising the retirement age for future Social Security recipients under the age of 50, while increasing the maximum contribution limit they can make to their own retirement fund. Passing US House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s budget to save Medicare costs. Eliminate the US Department of Education — they have no student contact. Eliminate the Departments of Commerce, Housing and Human Services, and Health and Human Services — incredible duplication in these departments; most of their work can be done by the existing university system. Closing over 100 strategically obsolete military bases that were set up in World War ll. Closing the National Endowment for the Arts…this is essentially a subsidy to the upper-middle class and above. And there is much more spending that is far from a national priority and a waste of your taxpayer dollars.
Every inch of nonessential government must be under scrutiny as we fight to balance our federal budget. We can start by de-funding all extraneous government, then turning on the funding spigot one by one, based on necessity and merit. For every program we decide to keep, let Congress justify every dollar that must be spent. This is the courageous path toward fiscal solvency. It is the only adult thing to do.