Posted on 12/15/2014 12:48:21 PM PST by HomerBohn
The political class breathed a sigh of relief Saturday when the US Senate averted a government shutdown by passing the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill. This year's omnibus resembles omnibuses of Christmas past in that it was drafted in secret, was full of special interest deals and disguised spending increases, and was voted on before most members could read it.
The debate over the omnibus may have made for entertaining political theater, but the outcome was never in doubt. Most House and Senate members are so terrified of another government shutdown that they would rather vote for a 1,774-page bill they have not read than risk even a one or two-day government shutdown.
Those who voted for the omnibus to avoid a shutdown fail to grasp that the consequences of blindly expanding government are far worse than the consequences of a temporary government shutdown. A short or even long-term government shutdown is a small price to pay to avoid an economic calamity caused by Congress' failure to reduce spending and debt.
The political class' shutdown phobia is particularly puzzling because a shutdown only closes 20 percent of the federal government. As the American people learned during the government shutdown of 2013, the country can survive with 20 percent less government.
Instead of panicking over a limited shutdown, a true pro-liberty Congress would be eagerly drawing up plans to permanently close most of the federal government, staring with the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve's inflationary policies not only degrade the average American's standard of living, they also allow Congress to run up huge deficits. Congress should take the first step toward restoring a sound monetary policy by passing the Audit the Fed bill, so the American people can finally learn the truth about the Fed's operations. Second on the chopping block should be the Internal Revenue Service. The federal government is perfectly capable of performing its constitutional functions without imposing a tyrannical income tax system on the American people.
America's militaristic foreign policy should certainly be high on the shutdown list. The troops should be brought home, all foreign aid should be ended, and America should pursue a policy of peace and free trade with all nations. Ending the foreign policy of hyper-interventionism that causes so many to resent and even hate America will increase our national security.
All programs that spy on or otherwise interfere with the private lives of American citizens should be shutdown. This means no more TSA, NSA, or CIA, as well as an end to all federal programs that promote police militarization. The unconstitutional war on drugs should also end, along with the war on raw milk.
All forms of welfare should be shut down, starting with those welfare programs that benefit the wealthy and the politically well connected. Corporate welfare, including welfare for the military-industrial complex that masquerades as "defense spending," should be first on the chopping block. Welfare for those with lower incomes could be more slowly phased out to protect those who have become dependent on those programs.
The Department of Education should be permanently padlocked. This would free American schoolchildren from the dumbed-down education imposed by Common Core and No Child Left Behind. Of course, Obamacare, and similar programs, must be shut down so we can finally have free-market health care.
Congress could not have picked a worse Christmas gift for the American people than the 1,774-page omnibus spending bill. Unfortunately, we cannot return this gift. But hopefully someday Congress will give us the gift of peace, prosperity, and liberty by shutting down the welfare-warfare state.
The GOP will drown out any true small government voices and then scream that we must vote for the "lesser of evils".
The Chamber of Commerce is now officially on a bender ..
” But hopefully someday Congress will give us the gift of peace, prosperity, and liberty by shutting down the welfare-warfare state.”
Not with this current gang of quislings.
If Ron Paul is on your side, you’re on the wrong side.
Rand Paul On Shutdown: "Even Though It Appeared I Was Participating In It, It Was A Dumb Idea"I said throughout the whole battle that shutting down the government was a dumb idea. Even though it did appear as if I was participating in it, I said it was a dumb idea. And the reason I voted for it, though, is that it's a conundrum. Here's the conundrum. We have a $17 trillion debt and people at home tell me you can't give the president a blank check. We just can't keep raising the debt ceiling without conditions. So unconditionally raising the debt ceiling, nobody at home wants me to vote for that and I can't vote for that. But the conundrum is if I don't we do approach these deadlines. So there is an impasse. In 2011, though, we had this impasse and the president did negotiate. We got the sequester. If we were to extend the sequester from discretionary spending to all the entitlements we would actually fix our problem within a few years.[Posted on 11/19/2013 12:16:51 PM by Third Person]
You’re deranged if you can’t see past your dislike of Paul to see that he can sometimes actually act like a small government conservative. Unless you’d prefer that the poster side with SOCIALST Obama/Boehner, perhaps you support more government as well??
Not starting a flame war, but sometimes conservatives are self defeating because they can’t ally with someone that isn’t 100% “pure”.
Hm, watch this.
Why would you say that? THere is no such thing as a perfect politician, but I’m so sick of these special interest, do nothing gutless jerks out there. We need term limits for these idiots. We needs people out there who have the guts to shut down and get rid of the tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of federal jobs and agencies out there that are bogus, not to mention the suppliers to them.
Sure the guy is a nut, but when it comes to the Fed Reserve, I think he knows what he’s talking about.
Act being the key word. Not wise to be influenced by a two minded man.
Jas 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
“You’re deranged if you can’t see past your dislike of Paul to see that he can sometimes actually act like a small government conservative. Unless you’d prefer that the poster side with SOCIALST Obama/Boehner, perhaps you support more government as well??”
I don’t ‘dislike’ Ron Paul. I’ve never met the man but I find his idiotic policy prescriptions like issuing Letters of Marque and Reprisal to combat terrorism are asinine.
“Not starting a flame war, but sometimes conservatives are self defeating because they can’t ally with someone that isn’t 100% “pure”.:”
Couldn’t agree more. But would that mean: “The lesser of two evils is still evil” is wrong?
“Why would you say that? THere is no such thing as a perfect politician, but I’m so sick of these special interest, do nothing gutless jerks out there.”
Hate to burst a bubble, but Ron Paul is no different from the rest of them. He just has a different set of special interests. Anyone who would seriously propose using Letters Of Marque and Appraisal as the response to international terrorism cannot be relied upon as a serious source for policy.
“Sure the guy is a nut, but when it comes to the Fed Reserve, I think he knows what he’s talking about.”
Just another of his conspiracy theories. Seriously, do some research on Ron Paul. He’s heavily related to some of the biggest nut cases there are such as Justin Raimondo, Lew Rockwell, and Cindy Sheehan.
He’s a nut case, no doubt. I’m not even sure if the son is the same...only this gov’t is broken. I can’t believe how dysfunctional the whole thing is, and there’s no one out there, in a leadership position, who has a clear understanding how to fix.
“He’s a nut case, no doubt. I’m not even sure if the son is the same...only this gov’t is broken. I can’t believe how dysfunctional the whole thing is, and there’s no one out there, in a leadership position, who has a clear understanding how to fix.”
The government only reflects the disfunctional nature of humanity. As our founding fathers taught, government has to be kept small in order to function.
We have the bewt people in every field of endeavor in this country. The best doctors, engineers, CEOs, scientists... You would think we’d have someone who could truly lead us... inspire us... make us better... teach us. Our politicians and esp those who hold the highest office are worthless....
REagan was actually too old in his second term to affect us as much as he could have. Nixon at least understood the world and history and this country.
Bush, Clinton, LBJ, Carter... the latest... nothing. Nothing.
God, how we need someone to guide us through this time.
Understand your angst. I’d take the job but I’ve retired.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.