Eric, great minds think alike. Posted previously:
I have been thinking about what Pres. Palin and a conservative Congress can do to FIX the country when they take power. Here are a few ideas:
1. The USA is BANKRUPT. Therefore, we need to declare CHAPTER 13. All contracts, promises, and ENTITLEMENTS are on the table. Appoint an all-powerful National Bankruptcy Judge who will dictate the changes and kill ALL the SACRED COWS! That way we only have to pass ONE BILL to make all of the painful changes.
2. Lay off 80-90% of all federal workers. Eliminate departments, agencies, and commissions. Examples include Dept. of Education, most of the Small Business Administration, most of the EPA, HUD, National Public Radio, National Endowment of the Arts, et al.
3. Privatize every function possible. Fire the union TSA and hire a contractor with a free hand to “profile” terrorists.
4. Sell off assets. SELL, don’t lease, mineral rights offshore. Why the hell does the federal government have to own 50% of the land West of the Mississippi? Sell the BLM and most National Forests. Sell federal office buildings and lease back the ones truly needed. Sell off every technology that is not classified. Sell off dams and powerplants. Sell Amtrack.
5. Reduce all Congressional pensions to ZERO. Both the Republicans and Democrats bear responsibility for the mess they got us in. They can go work for a living. Cut civil service pensions to a minimum. Regardless of rank, pensions should be what the lowest civil servant gets. Raise the retirement age for federal employees.
6. Invalidate all federal union contracts and their right to represent federal workers.
7. Eliminate farm price supports, dairy cartels, etc. Let the free market drive down prices.
8. Obviously, eliminate earmarks, aid to cities and states, and other pork barrel spending.
9. Allow elderly people to have HMO coverage or catastrophic insurance instead of Medicare.
10. Raise the retirement age for Social Security gradually. We are living longer, healthier lives.
11. SEND THE ILLEGALS HOME. No benefits for illegals.
12. CUT TAXES AND REGULATION TO RE-START ECONOMIC GROWTH.
13. PAY DOWN THE NATIONAL DEBT.
14. COLLECT ALL DEBTS OWED. Audit all foundations and non-profits to see if they are doing political activism not in their charters. If they are, freeze their assets and bill them for back taxes. Investigate and PROSECUTE all the Wall Street scam artists and SEIZE ALL OF THEIR ASSETS. (Rudy Giuliani for Attorney General!)
Audit the unions for illegal political contributions. Prosecute and SEIZE THEIR ASSSETS.
Just recovering the assets ripped off by white collar criminals could repay a good chunk of the national debt.
I’ll think of a few more areas to cut later. How are the above for a start?
I think you’re definitely on to something.