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EXCLUSIVE REPORT: Ten Worst Government Programs
Human Events ^
| 3-5-04
Posted on 03/05/2004 3:58:55 PM PST by Indy Pendance
1. Medicare Prescription Drug Entitlement
TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: topten
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To: Indy Pendance
Unreal!
2
posted on
03/05/2004 4:00:30 PM PST
by
petercooper
(Florida 2000: Bush 2,912,790 - Gore 2,912,253)
To: petercooper
bump
3
posted on
03/05/2004 4:03:20 PM PST
by
alisasny
(John Kerry is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.)
To: Indy Pendance
The american sheeple are getting fleeced.
4
posted on
03/05/2004 4:03:27 PM PST
by
exnavy
To: Indy Pendance
Constitutional provision: HUMAN EVENTS asked both FRA Director Steven Klum and public affairs advisor Warren Flatau what constitutional language authorized Amtrak. Neither answered the question. Well, railroads originally played a major role in transporting mail, and thus probably have as much constitutional justification as other transportation infrastructure. Actually, from what I understand Amtrak actually does respectably on some routes, but politics demands that it maintain routes which are major money sinks.
5
posted on
03/05/2004 4:08:55 PM PST
by
supercat
(Why is it that the more "gun safety" laws are passed, the less safe my guns seem?)
To: Indy Pendance
I'm not going to complain about the U.S. Postal Service. My mail is in the mailbox six days a week, and for only a few cents I can send a letter clear across the country.
6
posted on
03/05/2004 4:11:30 PM PST
by
squidly
(Money is inconvenient for them: give them victuals and an arse-clout, it is enough.)
To: Indy Pendance
The Post Office is an interesting case in point. Certainly it's Constitutional basis is unchallengable. Many of the Post Office's services are already open to private competition. In fact, as far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong), the only portion of the Post Office's services that are closed to private competition is First Class mail.
And that goes back to the original intent of creating the Post Office. Unlike the model that a private business would use, First Class mail pricing is independent of location or distance. The question is, is it in the public interest to make people living in rural areas pay the extra price that it costs to serve remote and thinly settled areas? Or is it in the public interest, and worth a public subsidy, to maintain such service to such areas so that rural dwellers have a relatively inexpensive way to send mail and small packages? You may not think so, but it seems to be quite Constitutional.
7
posted on
03/05/2004 4:14:56 PM PST
by
RonF
To: Indy Pendance
In discussion here on FR, even those who believe in extremely limited government seem to hold that building and maintaining roads is a proper government function. Support of Amtrack is not too far a stretch from that. And if you are going to call subsidies of Amtrack into question, it seems to me that subsidies for road building used by the trucking and busing industries, and subsidies of airport building (and the airline companies themselves), competitors of Amtrack, also ought to be examined. What would Amtrack's financials look like if they didn't have to build and maintain the railroad tracks and crossings?
8
posted on
03/05/2004 4:22:02 PM PST
by
RonF
To: Indy Pendance
Excellent! (although I would not have placed the Post Office on the list since the Constitution delegates that power to the United States)
I'd put the war on drugs on the list as well.
What is the constitutional provision for the war on drugs?
9
posted on
03/05/2004 4:25:45 PM PST
by
Ken H
To: Indy Pendance
"We don't have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven't taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much."
President Ronald Reagan, March 28, 1982
10
posted on
03/05/2004 4:34:45 PM PST
by
Reagan Man
(The choice is clear. Reelect BUSH-CHENEY in 2004)
To: RonF
The Post Office is an interesting case in point. Certainly it's Constitutional basis is unchallengable. Many of the Post Office's services are already open to private competition. In fact, as far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong), the only portion of the Post Office's services that are closed to private competition is First Class mail. That plus the ability to deliver to mailboxes and P.O. boxes.
And that goes back to the original intent of creating the Post Office. Unlike the model that a private business would use, First Class mail pricing is independent of location or distance. The question is, is it in the public interest to make people living in rural areas pay the extra price that it costs to serve remote and thinly settled areas? Or is it in the public interest, and worth a public subsidy, to maintain such service to such areas so that rural dwellers have a relatively inexpensive way to send mail and small packages? You may not think so, but it seems to be quite Constitutional.
What carriers distinguish between rural and urban destinations? When sending packages Brown or (I think) Orange, UPS charges based on geographic distance (NYC to LA is more expensive than NYC to Albany) but I don't think there's any difference sending a package to Squirrel Island, Maine vs. Augusta, even though the former is only reachable via boat.
11
posted on
03/05/2004 4:41:45 PM PST
by
supercat
(Why is it that the more "gun safety" laws are passed, the less safe my guns seem?)
To: Indy Pendance
Did not read the article but to come up with only 10 (ten) they had to split hairs to come up with only 10 (ten).
To: Indy Pendance
Fish & Wildlife Spokeswoman Betsy Lordan said: "There are three potential sources of constitutional authority: property power, treaty power, and commerce power. The commerce power is the one frequently used to defend the ESA. In fact, the constitutional basis for many environmental statutes, including the ESA, is the Commerce Clause, which grants Congress the authority to regulate activities that affect interstate commerce." Huh, I guess the Constitution I've been using must be the abridged version.
To: farmfriend
ping
To: Indy Pendance; abbi_normal_2; Ace2U; Alamo-Girl; Alas; alfons; alphadog; amom; AndreaZingg; ...
Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.
15
posted on
03/05/2004 5:41:06 PM PST
by
farmfriend
( Isaiah 55:10,11)
To: supercat
What carriers distinguish between rural and urban destinations? They may not distinguish other than on distance, but for the more rural areas they get the articles to their nearest depot, then mail them rather than go to those remote points...
16
posted on
03/05/2004 6:00:10 PM PST
by
Kay Ludlow
(Free market, but cautious about what I support with my dollars)
To: Indy Pendance
The only subsidies the postal service currently receives are for retiree benefits (primarily for those who retired before reorganization) and for low rates for 'subsidized classes of mail' required by law - primarily non-profit rates and congressional mailings.
17
posted on
03/05/2004 6:03:14 PM PST
by
Kay Ludlow
(Free market, but cautious about what I support with my dollars)
To: Indy Pendance
Eliminate most of these give-aways and privatize others (The SS and PO, for example). Will it happen on a Pubbie watch? Naaaahhhhh! They will be expanded if the RATS get in power.
To: supercat
I gave up sending my product packages every day via the PO. Too expensive and time-consuming. Good old UPS does a great job and picks them up for me and I can use their computer system to make the labels too..
To: Kay Ludlow
Oh yes, and they have better retirement bennies than I had. My golfing buddy, an ex-PO guy, gets nearly full salary and other great bennies.
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